Could you love somebody so much that you would kill for them? Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka did. Since the first time they met, they knew they were meant for each other. Once kindled, their lustful relationship grew into one that led them deeper into sexual experimentation. They both had manipulative personalities, but Paul’s would eventually overpower Karla’s. Their fantasies grew stronger, and then family and friends began dying at the hands of these two, Paul and Karla. They thought they were smart enough to get away with it, but soon enough, all their dreams of an escape came crashing down.
Karla was born in Ontario, Canada on May 4, 1970. She was the eldest of three, and grew to be smart, popular, pretty, and well-loved by her friends and family. Karla pursued a job at a veterinary clinic. She adored animals. While at a pet convention in Toronto, she met her prince charming, Paul Bernardo, at just age seventeen. And Paul was twenty-three. The relationship between the two rapidly advanced. They both clicked instantly, sharing pathological desires in their sex life, binding them closer. This led to quirky foreplay, where Paul played the master and Karla the slave.1
Paul loved the feeling of dominating women. And Karla was wrapped around so tightly on his finger that she would do anything to please him. Bernardo often complained that when he met her, she was not a virgin. Karla, willing to satisfy Paul’s needs, offered her younger sister Tammy as a sex sacrifice to him because Tammy was still a virgin. Both planned to force Tammy into being a younger and purer version of Karla. To do this, Karla stole an animal anesthetic from her workplace for later use. On December 23, 1990, at a Christmas party at their home, the couple drugged Tammy’s drink with halcyon, and soon took her down into the basement. Karla pulled out the animal anesthetic and drenched a cloth with it to cover Tammy’s mouth, and knock her unconscious. Bernardo raped her, but Tammy unexpectedly began gagging on her own vomit and suddenly died. When her death was officially declared, it was labeled as an accidental death, as the drugs in her body went undetected.2
Paul continued his killings in the Scarborough suburbs of Toronto. He raped women and then murdered them. Some women fortunately escaped with only an attempted rape. No one could pin down who was committing these crimes. So this mysterious figure became known as the Scarborough Rapist. He usually attacked females outdoors, but occasionally he would break into their homes and severely beat them along with strong verbal harassment. Soon, the Metropolitan Toronto Police created an investigation to capture and arrest the Scarborough Rapist. It was only a month later that the Forensic Science Center matched Bernardo’s DNA with the Scarborough Rapist.3
A search of Bernardo’s home revealed numerous tape recordings of the rapes upon the women. Lots of the tapes showed the women being strangled and killed by Paul by their end. Karla decided to testify against Bernardo, and in return was to be granted a reduced sentence. Karla was interrogated for four days. She blamed Paul for her sister Tammy’s death, and described many of Paul’s kidnappings and rapes that resulted in women’s deaths. Two victims during the reign of the Scarborough Rapist were two schoolgirls Mahaffy and Kristen. Karla accused Paul of committing these crimes, and her accounts were later found to be true by forensic evidence. She said she lived in terror of Paul and was forced by him to partake in his crimes. On February 17, Bernardo was arrested and brought to the Toronto detention center where he awaited trial. At his trial, he was charged with first degree murder, found guilty, and subsequently sentenced to life in prison with possibility of parole in twenty-five years. Karla was sentenced to only twelve years in prison.4
Now what did the future hold for these two who eventually turned on each other? As for Paul, he will be eligible for parole in 2018 at the age of fifty. But surprising news has surfaced, Paul is planning to get married while serving his term! Apparently a woman from London, Ontario, who requested to remain anonymous, has been charmed by this “innocent” man. She has said to her friends that Bernardo was just a bystander to the rapes and murders of the two schoolgirls. She was so determined to wed this convicted killer that she tattooed one of her ankles “Paul’s girl.” On the other hand, the woman’s father rejects her plans and says he hopes she will abandon this ill-thought idea. Many other news reporters and even the lawyers who represented Kristen and Mahaffy have all commented on how appalling they found it to be for anyone wanting to wed a man after his horrific crimes.5
As for Karla Homolka, she was released in 2005 after a short twelve year sentence. She thereafter resided in Quebec and married Thierry Bordelais, gave birth to a son, and later had two other children. She was found volunteering at an elementary school in Montreal. Breakfast Television Montreal has confirmed that she often went to the elementary school where her children also attend. Many parents of other children were displeased to see this, and red flags were raised. Parents commented that they did not want her to be on the school’s property and that they believed it wasn’t right for a former serial killer to be around children, especially volunteering. Disturbed parents complained to the school, but they weren’t answered until the Quebec Conference of Seventh-day Adventists sent out a letter. They stated that their priority was to provide quality education to the students and that while they arrange the complaints from the parents, they encourage parents to communicate with the Quebec Conference Office of Education. They also say that they were aware of who Karla is and that it is the law for Canada to conduct background checks on any personnel associated with the school. Karla, tired of the social media, moved away in the year 2007. Nobody heard of her again until a journalist, Paula Todd, came across her in Guadeloupe in 2012.6
- Charles Montaldo, “The Crimes of Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo,” ThoughtCo., (May 2017). ↵
- Charles Montaldo, “The Crimes of Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo,” ThoughtCo., (May 2017). ↵
- Historica Canada: The Canadian Encyclopedia, June 2016, s.v., “Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Case,” by Edward Butts. ↵
- Nick Pron, Lethal Marriage: The Unspeakable Crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka (Canada: McClelland-Bantam Inc., 1995), 9-16. ↵
- Irene Ogrodnik, “Convicted killer Paul Bernardo set to marry: report.” Global News, July 4, 2014. Accessed December 6, 2017. ↵
- Fazioli, Domenic. “EXCLUSIVE: Karla Homolka occasionally volunteers at Montreal elementary school.” CityNews, May 26, 2017. ↵
This Post Has 130 Comments
Savannah Alcazar
25 Feb 2020I do not understand how a woman could put herself in a situation to be a “slave” to a man. I’m sure things were much deeper than research could uncover. It would be interesting to see where Bernardo is now (in 2020) since he was eligible for parole in 2018. I don’t think Karla’s role was explained extensively besides her sisters murder in which she should have gotten a heftier sentence. .
Had you thought about beginning the article with one of the murders to set the scene for the reader? Then introduce the killers and their relationship…
Good read.
Mia Hernandez
9 Feb 2020I had heard about the ken and barbie “murders”, but not the details of it. I find it hard to imagine how someone could commit such heinous acts because of love even though I’ve heard that love can be blinding. It is also insane to think about how short Homolkas sentence was considering that she was involved directly in the crimes and was not an accessory.
arlie
11 Nov 2019this article has many facts wrong
it said he raped and murdered many women as the S. Rapist which isn’t true. the first time anyone dies is after karla got involved
also the tapes (which thankfully have been destroyed) have a transcript available in nick pron’s book about the case and the actual murders are not shown
the rapes torture and karla’s involvement are shown and both her and paul are absolute monsters
anyway i was just pointing out a couple facts that are incorrect, not to be a know it all or anything but in the interest of truth
i think the overall message of the article is correct and am so sad for the many victims
Victoria Muller
7 Nov 2019I can’t believe that love would make anyone so blind to how wrong things really are. For Karla to put her sister in the situation she did and not try to ever stop it is horrifying. While I’m glad that Karla has seemed to change for the better, I think her sentence should have been a little longer because she did assist in the murder of her sister. As for the woman who thinks that that Paul is innocent despite there being forensic evidence, I can never understand how these types of women are charmed by these killers.
Hannah Hennon
3 Nov 2019I do not think I could kill or hurt anyone for love. That just seems too ridiculous to me. I feel like Karla was so quick to blame it on Paul when he was cut, but she could not speak up while it was happening and report it to the police. Also I think it is so crazy that anyone would want to marry a man who raped and killed women before.
Kristina Tijerina
20 Oct 2019This story was really crazy to read about. Some people will really do anything for love, no matter the cost. I feel like at some point, no matter how in love you are, you have to be aware of what you are partaking in when it comes to crime. Karla is just as guilty as Paul in this situation. She was aware of his intentions for other women, faced abuse, and she let Paul rape her own sister. How can someone not feel any type of guilt or remorse after that? She was aware of what was going on, I don’t think she should’ve only gotten twelve years in prison, and I don’t think that she should’ve been able to start fresh with a new family and then go on to volunteer at her kids’ school.
Briana Montes
3 Oct 2019Overall great article! It is crazy what people do for love. I don’t understand how any woman would be charmed by Bernardo even after finding that he was sentenced to prison and why. It is terrifying what they did just because they wanted to satisfy their sexual desires. I feel that Homolka’s sentence was too short as well because she was directly involved with the death of her sister. It is kind of scary that she has kids even after what she did. Hopefully they dont follow in those footsteps.
Saira Locke
22 Sep 2019I feel as though this story tries to push the thought of Karla’s innocence when she was just as guilty as Paul. It is disgusting how Karla was willing to let her boyfriend rape her own sister just to please their sexual desires. I don’t think that Karla’s sentencing was justifiable because yes, she did give the police ins on Paul’s other crimes, but they can’t just forget about the crimes that she helped him commit. I think that Karla should still be incarcerated just like Paul is.
Patricia Arechiga
22 Sep 2019Love is blinding and this article truly proves just that. How crazy is it that Karla put her sisters life at the hands of a psychopath? And even stayed with him? I honestly can not understand how people fall in love with serial killers. Knowing that Paul is getting married is pretty crazy to me. I am so glad that both got punished for their crimes, however, I do find it pretty bold of Karla to go teach at an elementary school despite her past actions. I do believe people can change but I would still be concerned if my child was around an ex serial killer.
Gabriel Lopez
19 Sep 2019I don’t understand how any woman would be charmed by Bernardo after learning about why he was sentenced to prison, or how anybody would want to do the same with Homolka. It’s horrifying what they did just because they wanted to satisfy their sexual desires. I also agree that Homolka’s sentence was too short because she was directly involved with the death of her sister, and it’s concerning that she now has kids of her own after what she did.