Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka

Paul Bernardo, dubbed the “Scarborough Rapist,” sexually assaulted at least 18 women between May 4, 1987, and April 6, 1991.

During his formative years, Bernardo had begun to display signs of scoptophilia, peeping through windows at young women to achieve sexual gratification. At the age of 16, his mother, Marilyn Bernardo, informed him that Kenneth Bernardo was not his father; the boy was the product of an illicit affair with a prominent businessperson. Following this, the distance between Bernardo and his parents increased, as did his aggressive behavior toward women. On completion of a bachelor's degree in commerce and unable to find full-time employment as an accountant, Bernardo began to smuggle cigarettes across the border.

Karla Homolka spent her formative years in a lower-middle-class suburb in St. Catharines, Ontario. Homolka was described by friends as studious and actively involved in various extracurricular activities. At the age of 17, in an act of rebellion, she quit high school and began working at a veterinary hospital. In September 1987, she met Bernardo at a pet store convention and began dating him. He was a frequent weekend guest at the Homolka residence, where Karla lived with her parents and two sisters, Lori and Tammy. During visits, Bernardo became increasingly infatuated with the youngest sister, Tammy. Described by criminologist Candice Skrapec as a malignant narcissist, Homolka was incapable of tolerating a challenge. She perceived her sister as a threat to her relationship with Bernardo, a perception that ultimately resulted in Tammy's death.

On December 24, 1990, Karla drugged her 15-yearold sister with a sleeping medication called Halcion. She then administered Halothane, a general anesthetic, and she and her financé Bernardo sexually assaulted Tammy. As a result of the anesthetic, a drug Karla had illegally obtained from the veterinary hospital where she was employed, her sister stopped breathing. Her death was listed as accidental, a result of choking on her own vomit.

In early 1991, Bernardo and Homolka began to cohabit, in a rented bungalow in St. Catharines. Approximately 16 months later, 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy was taken from outside her home by Bernardo. Two days later, on June 17, 1991, the girl was killed after being tortured and raped. Ironically, on June 29, 1991, the day Mahaffy's remains were discovered, encased in concrete, Homolka and Bernardo celebrated their wedding. In April 1992, 15-year-old Kristen French was kidnapped by Homolka and Bernardo while walking home from school. Within days, the girl was dead.

Shortly thereafter, following a severe beating inflicted by her spouse, Homolka sought medical attention at a local hospital in St. Catharines, Ontario. With encouragement from family members, Homolka pressed assault charges against Bernardo. This incident acted as a catalyst that ultimately led to the arrest of Paul Bernardo as the “Scarborough Rapist” and the murderer of three women. Homolka negotiated a plea [Page 61]bargain in exchange for testifying against her spouse. In 1993, with a publication ban in place, team-killer Karla Homolka received two 12-year sentences, to be served concurrently, in exchange for testifying against her spouse and partner about the murders of Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French. As part of the pleabargain agreement, Homolka was granted immunity from prosecution in the death of her sister Tammy. (Ironically, according to Candice Skrapec, none of the victims died until Karla Homolka became involved.) She is eligible for mandatory release in July 2005.

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