Serial schoolgirl rapist and killer, 50, 'gets engaged to woman, 30, he wooed from behind bars' - and if they marry he can get 72-hour conjugal visits

Infamous Canadian serial killer Paul Bernardo 'is engaged to university-educated woman after she first started writing to him last Fall'

She 'has a tattoo reading "Paul's Girl" on her ankle and has bought wedding bands'

If they do wed, she'll be allowed 72-hour visits with him every two months

He is serving an indefinite sentence for the kidnapping, rapes and murders of Kristen French, 15, and Leslie Mahaffy, 14, in the 1990s



One of Canada's most infamous serial killers is engaged to be married after wooing a woman from behind bars, it has been reported.

Paul Bernardo, 50, who is serving an indeterminate sentence for the heinous rapes and murders of two schoolgirls in the 1990s, a dozen rapes and more than two dozen other sex offenses, is set to marry a 30-year-old blonde university graduate from London, Ontario, the Toronto Sun reported.

The woman, who has not been identified, has been writing to the convicted murderer since last fall and now displays a tattoo on his ankle reading: 'Paul's girl', friends said.



Without identifying him, she has told friends that he is 'innocent' of his crimes, which include raping, torturing and killing schoolgirls Kristen French, 15, and Leslie Mahaffy, 14, with his then-wife.

'Husband-to-be': Paul Bernardo, who is serving a life sentence for murdering two school girls in the 1990s, is reportedly engaged to be married to a woman who started writing to him. He is pictured in 1993

'He is a kind man, a Christian, a very nice man,' she said.



While the woman has denied she is marrying Bernardo when speaking to her concerned parents, she did not deny their nuptials were on the horizon during interviews with the Sun.

She's also bought wedding bands, she told friends.

The friend added: 'He told her not to tell her parents until after they were married.'

If they do marry, they would be allowed 'private family visits' of up to 72 hours once every two months - although prison staff would have 'regular' contact with the inmate and visitor to ensure their safety.

Despite her letters to Bernardo - which she told her parents she initially send because she was researching a book on him - and the wedding bands, she is having second thoughts, the Sun said.

Victims: Tammy Homolka, the younger sister of his former wife, died after she was drugged and raped by Bernardo as her big sister watched. He also killed 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy, right



Killed: The couple also kidnapped Kristen French, 15, who was tortured for three days before she died

Her parents said they understood how the woman, who has had ' a number of bad relationships that undermined her self-esteem despite her brilliance', was manipulated by Bernardo.

But they also believe she is reconsidering the choice as 'reality has set in.'



'I've been very explicit that he actually did these things and reality sunk in this last week in a big way,' her father said.

Partner in crime: His first wife Karla Homolka also served time but now has three children

He said that he and his wife had confronted their daughter earlier this year after learning that she was corresponding with him and advised her to stop.

When the Sun told her about the potential wedding, her father was stunned and later said she completely denied it.

Friends also said she had been cagey about her new relationship.



'She did mention she was seeing somebody named Paul, that he had done some time,' the friend from the woman's university days said.

'She said it wasn't really him who did it. He was just there and it was the worst crime you could imagine. She maintains he’s innocent.

'She made it sound like he was a working accountant in Toronto and they had wedding bands.'



Bernardo, 50, is serving a life sentence for the murders of the two schoolgirls, whom he kidnapped, tortured and murdered.



He was also declared a dangerous offender in 1995 after pleading guilty to 32 sex-related crimes, including 12 rapes in the east end of Toronto dating to 1987.

He is eligible for day parole on February 17, 2015 and full parole on February 17, 2018, but because of the notoriety of the case, it is unlikely he will be paroled, the Sun reported.

He was married to Karla Homolka, who helped him capture his victims, but they have since divorced.

Homolka, who also helped Bernardo drug, rape and ultimately kill her younger sister Tammy, was convicted of manslaughter for her role in the slayings of French and Mahaffey and served 12 years in prison.

She wasn’t charged in the death of her sister but her sentence took the incident into account.