Family who lives in home where child star was murdered in 1988 says the hallway is haunted, they hear footsteps and feel cold spots - before the house gets life-changing makeover

A family who moved into the Los Angeles home where a child star was murdered by her father in 1988 have revealed they felt a haunted, dark presence inside that left them distraught and unable to sleep.  

In July 1988 Jozself Barsi shot his actress daughter Judith Barsi in the head before killing her mother Maria Virovacz and turning the gun on himself in a horrific double murder-suicide.

Judith, who was 10 at the time of her death, had started acting professionally in 1984 and appeared in Cheers, Growing Pains, Cagney And Lacey, Punky Brewster, St. Elsewhere, The Love Boat and Jaws 4: The Revenge.

The Bernal family moved into the Canoga Park ranch-style house in 2001 with no idea of the home's chilling history.

Soon after moving in a neighbor told them about the grisly crime that took place there and the Bernal family started to notice eerie things about the house.

A family who moved into the Los Angeles home where child star Judith Barsi was murdered by her father in 1988 have revealed how they felt a haunted, dark presence in the home that left them distraught and unable to sleep

In July 1988 Jozself Barsi shot his actress daughter Judith Barsi, 10, in the head before killing her mother Maria Virovacz and turning the gun on himself in a horrific double murder-suicide

Los Angeles County Deputy Coroner David Masuda carries Judith Barsi's body from her home following her murder on July 27, 1988

Gaby Bernal and her family moved into the house in 2001 and she has the same bedroom Judith had but she says she can't sleep because she feels someone 'watching her' and has terrible nightmares

'When we first moved in we didn't know anything about the house they died with so much anger, maybe that's still here,' Gaby Bernal said on the Quibi show Murder House Flip. 

'The house had a bad energy when we moved in,' Gaby's father Franciso said. 

'Weird things would happen, the garge door would open and close, I had cold spots in my room. I couldn't sleep in my room last night I felt like someone was watching me,' Gaby said on the show. 

She said she was 10 when they moved into the house - the same age Judith was when she was killed - and she had an imaginary friend named Jozsef who would open and close the garage door, before she learned Jozsef was the name of the killer.

In her room, Gabby hung up dozens of dreamcatchers because she suffered terrible nightmares in her bedroom, the same room where Judith was shot in the head. 

'I think to Gabby, it has affected her a lot,' her mother Ruth said on the show.  

The show's hosts Joelle Uzyel and Mikel Welch come to the aid pf the Bernal family who purchased the property in 2001 and claim it's haunted by killer Jozsef Barsi

The show hosts decided to knock out the window in what had been Judith's bedroom to let 'light and good energy in' and brighten up the hallway with fresh paint and new fixtures

Jennifer had started acting professionally in 1984 and appeared in Cheers in 1986. She's pictured with Ted Danson and Edan Gross

Her other credits included Growing Pains (pictured with Joanna Kerns, Alan Thicke and Victor Dimatta), Cagney And Lacey, Punky Brewster, St. Elsewhere and Jaws 4: The Revenge

For the family, the hallway is one of the most haunted spots in the house, the same place where Jozsef Barsi killed his wife. 

'Sometimes I feel like somebody's behind me when I walk in the hallway,' Francisco said.  

'Sometimes I hear footsteps here,' his wife Ruth said. 

In the episode, show hosts and interior designers Joelle Uzyel and Mikel Welch decided to revamp the house focusing on the most haunted spaces - the hallway, Gaby's room and the backyard.

In three days the team repainted the dark hallway, added a rug, new lighting, and family photos to brighten up the space.

In Gaby’s room a big problem was that her bed was in the same position Judith’s was. The designers gutted the bedroom, replaced the window with French doors that open up to the backyard and removed Gaby’s dreamcatchers and replaced it with a calming amethyst crystal.

Before: Gaby's bedroom pictured above before the makeover, covered in dreamcatchers and her bed positioned in the same way Judith had her bed 

After: The show expanded her window to be French doors connecting to the backyard and switched up the position of her bed, got rid of her dreamcatchers, and added a calming crystal

Before: For the family, the hallway is one of the most haunted spots in the house, the same place where Jozsef Barsi killed his wife

After: In three days the team repainted the dark hallway, added a rug, new lighting, and family photos to brighten up the space

New backyard: The show hosts added a lush outdoor dining area and garden to the backyard so the family can create new memories together in the home

The backyard was upgraded into a beautiful dining area with a peaceful garden, creating a space where the family can make new memories.

'I felt bad energy here, and now it’s dissipated,' Gaby said in the episode.

'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.

The series Murder House Flips shows hosts Uzyel and Welch visit several homes that were the scenes of heinous murders to redesign the space and help the new residents get over its dark past.