When most people think of serial killers, they think of a man. While there are female serial killers, the majority of the most notorious murderers are men. However, the women who have become infamous for their crimes are also some of the worst killers to have ever existed. Karla Homolka is one of those women, who gained notoriety in the early '90s when she and her partner Paul Bernardo were arrested for raping and murdering a slew of women, one of which was Karla’s very own sister. After serving 12 years in prison, Karla is now free and living with a family of her own under an alias, while Paul is up for parole and could be released from prison within the year.
Karla Homolka: The Canadian Serial Killer Next Door
Apr 17, 2019
Alias. Karla Homolka is currently living in Canada, under the alias Leanne Teale, with her three children and her husband Thierry Bordelais, who just so happens to be the brother of Homolka’s attorney during her murder trial.
Different life. More than two decades ago, Homolka was living a completely different life, however. Shortly after meeting Paul Bernardo at a hotel restaurant, she fell in love with him, and he moved into the home that she shared with her parents and younger sister. It was there that things began to take a turn for the worse.
Abuse. Unbeknownst to Homolka, Bernardo had a past of being abusive. He had already stalked and raped 43 women, all before the age of 23. So it was unsurprising that Bernardo targeted Homolka’s 15-year-old sister Tammy as his next victim. What was shocking however, was the fact that rather than keep her sister safe, Homolka allowed Bernardo to rape and abuse her.
Assault. Homolka would drug her younger sister so that Bernardo, who eventually became her husband, could assault her. But during one instance when they were all drinking together, Homolka gave her sister too many drugs, causing her to die, all while Bernardo was assaulting her. Shockingly, Tammy’s death was deemed an accident because the couple made it seem like she had choked on her own vomit after too much drinking.
First victim. Following Tammy’s murder, Homolka and Bernardo then moved out into their own home, where they could continue their vicious attacks, unsuspected. The couple’s first victim was a 15-year-old girl that Homolka had met at a pet shop that she worked at. She invited her over to her home, where she helped Bernardo drug and rape her.
Kidnapped. The next victim was 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffey, whom Bernardo had stumbled across one evening while he was out stealing license plates. According to News AU, Mahaffey had been locked out of her home by her parents as punishment for coming home late. Bernardo lured her into his car, and kidnapped her.
Murder. Bernardo brought Mahaffey home where, with the help of his wife, he tortured, raped, and killed her. The couple have blamed one another for the girl’s death, but videotapes that surfaced of the pair abusing the girl show they were both equally as responsible. After killing her, they cut up Mahaffey’s body and hid it in cement blocks, which were later discovered near a lake.
Attack. Somehow, the murderous couple still hadn’t been caught, and they continued killing. Almost a year after Mahaffey’s killing, the couple came across 15-year-old Kristen French, who was walking home from school one day. Pretending to be lost, Homolka asked French for directions and while she was distracted, Bernardo attacked her.
