Judy Malinowski was determined to put the person who burned her alive in prison despite all obstacles.
After an argument with her ex-boyfriend Michael Slager ended with his dousing her in gasoline and setting her on fire outside of a suburban gas station, the 31-year-old mother of two, who passed away in June 2017, spent two years in a hospital bed.
Malinowski, a former homecoming queen who, according to her mother Bonnie Bowes, was “friends with everybody,” had to undergo more than 50 excruciating surgeries in order to survive. She also needed to be revived seven times. Burns covered 90% of the body after the incident.
But when Slager, who had pleaded no contest to charges of aggravated arson, was only given an 11-year jail term, Malinowski discovered a new reason to hang on for life and make sure her voice would be heard.
“Mom, not even an ant should be lit on fire, Judy replied. “I received a life sentence while he did not,” Bonnie, her mother, adds.
Malinowski spent weeks weaning off painkillers before she passed away in 2017, so that she could demonstrate her mental capacity to a judge. Then she testified against Slager for three hours, claiming that he ignored her cries for help after setting her on fire. She can be heard saying in the hospital bed footage, “The look on his face was pure evil,”
According to her mother, the cancer survivor was determined to hold on to life and record a videotaped confession that would be used against her attacker after she passed away because she understood how to fight from the hospital. The Fire That Took Her, a new MTV documentary that is currently streaming on Paramount+, is about the tragic story of Malinowski.
In 2018, after Slager was accused of aggravated murder, the recording was shown in front of a courtroom in Franklin County, Ohio, making Malinowski the first person in history to testify at their own murder trial. Slager was found guilty of murder and given a life term in prison after hearing the Ohio mother’s testimony.
The family of Malinowski, including mother Bonnie, sisters Danielle Gorman, Patrick Bowes, and kids Kaylyn and Madison, hasn’t given up on the pursuit of justice, though. The victim’s relatives advocated for stronger laws for attacks that use an accelerant and severely disfigure the victims. And as “Judy’s Law” was put into effect on September 7, 2017, members of the Malinowski family were present at the Ohio Statehouse.
She persisted and fought for justice, according to her mother today. “She endured unimaginable suffering to bring about change for other women.”
