Ontario man faces life sentence, deportation for setting estranged wife on fire

In a Toronto courtroom Thursday, Norbert Budai had 1 past accidental to code the tribunal earlier being sent to a national penitentiary to commencement serving a life sentence with nary eligibility for parole until he’s served 25 years successful prison.

“I would similar to apologize,” said Budai done a Hungarian translator.

“I cognize determination is nary excuse for it and I cannot commencement again. I would similar to find a mode to get backmost to however it utilized to be. As clip passes, I recognize I cannot spell backmost to the beginning. I deliberation that it was an unplanned bid of events.”

The 41-year-old Hungarian refugee, who came to Canada with his common-law woman Henrietta Viski and the couple’s 3 children successful 2019, was recovered blameworthy past period of first-degree execution aft sidesplitting Viski, from whom helium was estranged.

He faces being deported if helium completes his situation condemnation and is granted parole.

On June 17, 2022, Budai broke into the Toronto Community Housing portion connected Chester Le Boulevard wherever Viski and the couple’s 3 children lived and doused Viski with gasoline. As she ran retired of the unit, Budai lit her connected fire.

Two of the couple’s 3 children witnessed the attack, including 1 teenage girl who called 911. Viski was rushed to infirmary but died the adjacent day.

Testifying successful his ain defence, Budai argued helium was drunk connected vodka and precocious connected fentanyl and ne'er meant to termination his wife, but Justice Jane Kelly rejected his grounds and recovered him blameworthy of the planned and deliberate murder.

During the trial, Budai, who had nary fixed address, testified helium was upset astir the breakup.

“At the clip of Viski’s death, helium believed she was progressive with idiosyncratic else,” Kelly said.

“Something she was wholly entitled to do. She had dyed her hairsbreadth red. He associated her hairsbreadth with infidelity. He admitted helium was jealous and wanted to region that hairsbreadth and that is wherefore helium said helium lit her connected fire. Prompted by that jealousy, helium went to her home, broke down the door, doused her with gasoline and lit her connected fire.”

Court besides heard that successful 2021, Budai was charged and convicted connected 3 counts of uttering threats and 2 counts of failing to comply with a merchandise order. All 5 offences were related to Viski.

“His behaviour shows that helium wholly disregarded the tribunal orders that were meant to support Viski,” Kelly told the court. “He was connected probation astatine the clip helium committed the murder.”

Kelly said Budai’s jealousy was adjacent evident erstwhile helium acceptable Viski connected fire. “He wrestled with her, managing to region a clump of her reddish hair. A grim reminder of the crushed for Mr. Budai committing a transgression of stark fearfulness … jealousy,” Kelly said.

While nary of the 3 children chose to present unfortunate interaction statements, the justice noted that it doesn’t instrumentality overmuch imaginativeness to recognize the symptom and disbelief they indispensable consciousness erstwhile they see however their begetter murdered their mother.

Video surveillance which captured Budai lighting Viski connected occurrence was truthful horrifying to ticker that Budai adjacent testified that helium didn’t privation to spot it erstwhile it was played successful court. Kelly recalled that Budai had testified, “I don’t privation to look astatine the video due to the fact that the cognition of this volition beryllium with maine for the remainder of my life.”

Kelly reminded the tribunal that it is casual to simply presumption the unfortunate arsenic deceased and suffer show of the information that Viski was a idiosyncratic who had hopes, dreams and aspirations.

“I americium definite that she was loved and was a loving parent and daughter,” Kelly said. “The Budai household came to Canada for a amended life. In the span of a fewer minutes, the children mislaid their parent to execution and their begetter to a beingness condemnation of nary little than 25 years.”

The justice said the level of unit exacted successful this lawsuit of intimate spouse unit has besides affected the community, particularly wherever the assemblage wherever Viski lived. The enactment of dousing her connected occurrence and lighting her connected occurrence was witnessed by neighbours, 1 of whom tried to extinguish the flames with a plot hose.

She besides noted that archetypal responders would person been affected.

“One tin perceive a archetypal responder expressing fearfulness and dismay erstwhile the 911 telephone was played,” Kelly told the court.

As the justice asked Budai to basal up, helium looked down astatine the crushed arsenic she told him that a beingness condemnation was “entirely due successful the circumstances.”

In addition, Budai volition beryllium added to the DNA databank, which has a beingness weapons ban. She added that helium could person nary connection with his 2 daughters and his son, but with anterior written oregon oral consent from Corrections Canada.