She struck a plea deal before investigators found the videotapes. By the time they did, it was too late to take it back.
Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, known as "the Ken and Barbie Killers," were a Canadian couple convicted in connection with a series of sexual assaults and murders in Ontario in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their case remains one of the most notorious in Canadian criminal history.
An Ordinary-Seeming Couple
Bernardo and Homolka met in 1987, when he was 23 and she was 17. Outwardly, both were attractive, ambitious, and well-regarded by friends and family. Behind that image, Bernardo had already begun a series of violent sexual assaults on women in Toronto's Scarborough area, later linked to at least 13 attacks. Police questioned him as part of their investigation into the so-called "Scarborough Rapist" but didn't arrest him at the time, despite a DNA sample he voluntarily provided.
Escalating Violence
In December 1990, Bernardo and Homolka were involved in the death of Homolka's own 15-year-old sister, Tammy. Given the ages involved and the severity of what followed over the next several years, we won't detail the specific nature of these crimes. In 1991 and 1992, two teenagers, Leslie Mahaffy, 14, and Kristen French, 15, were abducted, held captive, and killed. Homolka's DNA sample, submitted years earlier, eventually matched evidence tying Bernardo to the earlier Scarborough assaults as well.
A Controversial Plea Deal
Facing an abusive relationship and mounting evidence, Homolka struck a plea agreement with prosecutors in 1993, pleading guilty to manslaughter in exchange for a 12-year sentence and her testimony against Bernardo. Investigators later discovered videotapes Bernardo had recorded of the crimes, which suggested Homolka's own level of direct participation may have been greater than what she'd described to secure her plea deal. By the time the tapes surfaced, the agreement was already in place, and Canadian authorities honored it despite widespread public outrage — a decision that became known in Canada as "the deal with the devil."
Bernardo's Trial
Bernardo was tried in 1995 and convicted on all charges, including first-degree murder, and was declared a dangerous offender, a status under Canadian law that keeps him indefinitely incarcerated. He remains in prison.
Homolka's Release
Homolka was released from prison in 2005 after serving her full 12-year sentence. She has since remarried, had children, and lived under public scrutiny whenever her whereabouts have become known, given the ongoing public anger over her plea deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paul Bernardo still in prison?
Yes. He was declared a dangerous offender following his 1995 conviction, a status that keeps him incarcerated indefinitely.
Why did Karla Homolka receive such a comparatively short sentence?
She struck a plea deal with prosecutors before videotapes were discovered that suggested a greater level of involvement than she had described; by the time the tapes surfaced, the agreement had already been finalized.
Is Karla Homolka still in prison?
No. She completed her 12-year sentence and was released in 2005.