Judith Barsi murder: Homeowners of the child actress's house 'feel a dark presence' years after her death
The Bernal family were excited to start a new life when they bought their Canoga Park, California, home 19 years ago. However, they had no idea that a tragic murder had taken place in the house 13 years earlier.
The 10-year-old child actress Judith Barsi was shot to death by her father Jozsef Barsi in a drunken rage back in 1988. After killing his child, he shot his wife and proceeded to turn the gun on himself.
Gaby Bernal, who sleeps in the same bedroom where Judith died, noted how her family "didn't know anything about the house" when they first moved in, People reports.
However, weird things began happening and the family felt a dark presence in the house. According to them, random cold spots would appear throughout the house and the garage door would open and close on its own.
But after years of reeling under the uncanny presence, the Bernal family finally decided to renovate their house as part of a new series that specializes in such transformations.
'Murder House Flip' approaches families that need unusual makeovers and hooks them up with a team of talented designers, paranormal experts, and other professionals to completely reimagine properties that have previously been sites of dark homicides. In doing so, the revamped spaces are rendered spirit-free and no longer haunting for families that are housed in them.
The latest episode, which premieres Wednesday on streaming services Quibi, sees interior designers Mikel Welch and Joelle Uzyel completely transform the said house, including redesigning the hallway where the mother was murdered, the site of Judith's death, as well as the backyard.
The foremost priority for Uzyel and Welch was to give the family a brand new start. “You can just tell there’s so much love in this house, but at the same time this house has taken an extreme toll on Gaby and her family,” Welch told producers.
The team managed to revamp and remodel the house in a span of three days. While the designers considered every detail inside the property, Gaby's room and the backyard had the most distinctive renovations.
The hallway, which was cramped and dark, was opened up by the team and repainted. They even installed recessed lighting, added a fun rug, and decorated the space with family photos. According to the outlet, Gaby's bed was originally positioned the same way Judith's was when she was tragically shot to death. This allegedly caused Gaby to have nightmares on a regular basis.
She had previously put up several dream catchers as a temporary solution, but they didn't work. Nonetheless, the team went ahead and gutted the entire room. Thet even replaced the window with french doors. “It was crucial to redefine that wall, and replacing the window wasn’t going to work,” Uzyel said.
Moreover, the team also added new carpet and paint and reoriented the room's entire layout. Finally, they added an amethyst crystal to promote calmness and healing as the finishing touch.
Meanwhile, the backyard was renovated in such a way that the whole family can enjoy the space. In fact, they built a brand new pergola in a slightly different spot so that Gaby's room could have more natural light. Other fixes included a whole new outdoor dining area, easy to maintain faux turf, and a beautiful garden lined with Bougainvillea plants.
“We really wanted to make sure that we gave these homeowners their home back. This family has gone through so much,” Welch said before the reveal.
After seeing the new designs, the Bernal family acknowledged there was a noticeable energy shift from the moment they walked back into their home. “I felt bad energy here, and now it’s dissipated,” Gaby said. “The negative energy that we felt in the house is gone already. No more sadness, no more crying. This is one of the greatest things that has happened in my life,” her father Francisco added.