When it comes to committing crimes, not everyone chooses to murder alone. Some people (whether they are related, friends, or in a relationship) conspire with one another to take the life of another, while others accidentally go too far with a prank or committing another crime that results in death. In the case of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, this murdering duo didn’t have immediate intentions of taking the life of another, but one night would change their lives forever.
The newspapers dubbed Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka ‘Ken and Barbie’ because of their relationship, blonde hair, and overall appearance. What looked like two regular young lovers was a twisted relationship built upon intimidation, lies, jealousy, sexual urges, abuse, rape, kidnapping, and murder.
A Compulsive Rapist
Paul Bernardo had a sick obsession with young schoolgirls and went on a rampage of raping young women and girls, which eventually escaladed into kidnapping, torture, and murder. In an attempt to please her lover (and later husband), Karla Homolka helped him to commit crimes that took place in the home they shared together.
Death of a Sister
One of the most disturbing crimes that Bernardo and Homolka committed was the death of Homolka’s sister, Tammy. Although Karla was jealous of Paul’s affection for her younger sister, she decided to ‘give’ her sister’s virginity to Paul as a Christmas present. In order to make Tammy comply with her plan, she stole halothane from the veterinary hospital that she worked at so that she could drug her sister. During a Christmas gathering at Holmoka’s house, the two lovers fed Tammy drink after drink laced with narcotics to make her fall asleep. Karla placed a rag saturated in halothane over her face to keep her from realizing what was going on.
Tammy passed out and Karla participated in the rape of her sister. What made the ordeal even sickening was that the entire incident was videotaped. However, Tammy started to vomit and eventually stopped breathing. Karla and Paul were unable to bring her back to life. They cleaned up the scene, hid the camcorder, and called the ambulance. In the end, Tammy’s death was ruled accidental. This would mark the start of a crime spree that involved videotaping their exploits.
Following the death of Tammy, the lovers kidnapped and raped two Canadian schoolgirls. All the while, Karla participated in the crimes with Paul, she was being beaten and verbally abused. The two schoolgirls were killed after enduring torture and rape. These crimes were done intentionally.
The Schoolgirl Deaths
The first kidnapped victim of Karla and Paul to die was dismembered after being raped and tortured for at least 24 hours. The 14-year-old girl’s body was tossed into the bottom of Lake Gibson in Canada. Their second victim was 15 years old when they dumped her lifeless body in a ditch.
Their Fate
Today, Paul Bernardo is housed in a maximum security Canadian prison and while he was listed as being eligible for release in 2010 , he’s been tagged as a ‘dangerous offender’ because of his two murders, which will most likely keep him from seeing daylight anytime soon. Karla spent 12 years in jail and was released in 2005. She settled for a plea bargain that cut her sentence short. She has since changed her name, kept a low profile, married, and had a child.
