Yesterday, while conducting research in old newspapers about Király utca 70, I came across an article published in the Friss Ujság in 1928 titled “Horrific Robbery Murder on Király Street.” This crime occurred in the apartment of Pál Varsa, an architect who designed a house on Práter utca, a topic I previously posted about on February 8th! Here is the full story:

On the afternoon of Thursday, May 10, 1928, a horrific homicide took place on Király Street. The perpetrator was an unemployed shoemaker’s assistant who killed his girlfriend in order to rob her employer’s residence.

Pál Varsa’s apartment was situated on the third floor, serving not only as a residence but also as the architect’s office. The Varsas employed a household employee named Julianna Gazda for about a year and a half. They valued the dedication of the 28-year-old woman. However, her personal life was in turmoil as she was in the process of divorcing her husband, with whom she had a child. She had a boyfriend, Sándor Rácz, a 26-year-old shoemaker’s assistant.

Julianna fell in love with Sándor and wanted to marry him once her divorce was finalized. Typically, Pál Varsa and his wife left the apartment at 4 pm, only to return in the evening, and the young couple used these occasions to meet. However, on May 10th, Pál had to return home earlier. Upon entering the apartment, he discovered the lifeless body of Julianna. He witnessed someone fleeing and called for help. Some inhabitants quickly closed the house’s doors, managing to catch the murderer, who turned out to be Sándor Rácz.

Police officers soon arrived at the house, where they interrogated the murderer. They discovered that his real name was Sándor Urbán and that he had a significant criminal record. He confessed that he had planned his crime in advance, intending to rob the architect’s apartment, and he killed Julianna because she did not want to be a part of this crime.

According to his criminal record, Sándor Urbán was sentenced to life imprisonment for this crime.