In a landmark legal case, a mother-of-two from Ohio testified posthumously in her own murder trial after being doused in petrol and set alight by her ex-boyfriend. Judy Malinowski, 33, died from her injuries in June 2017, but her recorded testimony helped convict Michael Slager, who received a life sentence without parole in 2018.
Malinowski, a former beauty pageant participant, had battled ovarian cancer twice and became addicted to opiates after a hysterectomy. Her addiction worsened when she met Slager, who supplied her with drugs. On August 2, 2015, during an argument near a petrol station, Slager poured petrol over Malinowski and set her on fire.
Despite suffering burns to 90% of her body and slipping into a coma, Malinowski survived for nearly two years. She emerged from the coma and recorded a video testimony, stating: 'I just remember crying and begging for help, and he lit me on fire. And the look in his eyes ... his eyes went black.'
Slager claimed the incident was accidental, but police investigation proved otherwise. Malinowski's testimony, one of the first of its kind in US history, was crucial in securing a conviction. She left behind two daughters.
