A woman became the first person to testify from beyond the grave after vowing to get her ex a life sentence after he burned her alive.
Judy Malinowski, 31, died in June 2017 after spending two years in hospital with horrific injuries, after her ex-boyfriend Michael Slager set her on fire.
The couple had got into an argument and Slager had doused Malinowski with gasoline before setting it alight outside a gas station.
The former homecoming queen had previously survived cancer, and vowed not to rest until Slager was put behind bars for the rest of his life.
Slager was initially only sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading no contest to aggravated arson charges, but Malinowski fought on to ensure he would never be free to hurt anyone else again if he was released.
Despite her extensive injuries, Malinowski spent weeks weaning off pain medication shortly before her death, so she was able to prove to a judge that she was of sound mind to testify against Slager.
In a three-hour testimony video filmed from her hospital bed, Malinowski revealed that Slager had set her alight and then refused her cries of help while her body was ablaze, adding: “The look on his face was pure evil.”
Slager was charged with aggravated murder in 2018, after the video was shown to the court in Franklin County, Ohio, and was sentenced to life behind bars.
Her mother added: “She hung on and fought for justice. She suffered beyond measure to make a change for other women.”
Her mother, as well as Malinowski’s daughters Kaylyn and Madison, her sister Danielle Gorman, and her brother Patrick Bowes, fought for tougher legislation for assaults using an accelerant that leaves victims seriously disfigured.
The family fought for ‘Judy’s Law’ which was enacted on September 7, 2017, ensuring perpetrators face longer prison sentences.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in over 170 languages.
