Karla Homolka

Karla Homolka is a convicted Canadian serial killer along with her accomplice/Ex-Husband Paul Bernardo. In 1988, after graduating from Winston Churchill Secondary School, Homolka began working at the Thorold Veterinary Clinic as a Vet Assistant. The couple’s first victim was Homolka’s own sister Tammy Homolka. Bernardo had developed an obsession for the sister, and convinced Karla that he needed to “Deflower” her. Using drugs that Karla had stolen from her place of work, the couple drugged their victim, so Bernardo could rape her while unconscious. Upon regaining consciousness, Tammy choked on her own vomit and died. The death was originally declared an accident.

Over the next 2 years the couple raped a handful of victims, and would be convicted of killing at least 2 more.

Toronto police were suspicious of both characters for a long time. Noting Bernardo as a possible suspect in the Scarborough rape scandal that had been plaguing the area during the early nineties, however, it took Toronto nearly 26 months to get the results back from Bernardo’s DNA test. With Bernardo’s DNA matching that of the Scarborough rapist, he was put under 24-hour surveillance. It wasn’t until February 17th of 1993, (despite being criminally investigated as early as May 12, 1992) that police were able to obtain search warrants and arrest Paul Bernardo for numerous charges, including rape and murder.

Upon being questioned, Homolka immediately brought up her Husband’s abusive nature, insisting that he had abused her on numerous occasions, and was in fact, the Scarborough rapist. Facing two counts of 2nd degree murder, Homolka took a plea bargain admitting guilt for Manslaughter, receiving a sentence of 12 years in prison. Bernardo was given life in prison, and a dangerous offender designation, the maximum sentence in Canada.

Several months after agreeing to the terms of Homolka’s plea bargain, police found videotapes of the rapes and murders that showed Homolka being a much more active participant than she had led the prosecution to believe. The tapes are rumored to have showed Homolka Raping at least four women, including a prostitute in Atlanta, and willingly helping out, (sometimes even appearing giddy) with the murders of the two teenagers. Homolka’s plea was labeled by the press as the, “Deal with the Devil.” She was released in 2005 having fully served the sentence of her plea bargain. Since her release Homolka has re-married and given birth to 3 children. As of 2012, she is living in Guadeloupe