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Paul Bernardo. Karla Homolka. Introduction. Paul Bernardo was a serial killer and rapist. He raped and murdered three main young girls, including his wife’s younger sister Tammy. Bernardo and his wife Karla Homolka video taped themselves sexually abusing and killing these young girls.
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Paul Bernardo Karla Homolka
Introduction • Paul Bernardo was a serial killer and rapist. • He raped and murdered three main young girls, including his wife’s younger sister Tammy. • Bernardo and his wife Karla Homolka video taped themselves sexually abusing and killing these young girls. • After they kept the girls in their home as sex slaves, they killed and disposed of their bodies immediately. • There was a significant difference between the charges against Bernardo and Homolka because Homolka testified against Bernardo in order to obtain a plea bargain.
PAUL KENNETH BERNARDO • Born August 27th, 1964 in Scarborough Ontario. • Raised in an extremely dysfunctional home. • His father was charged with child molestation. • Later in his life Paul’s father began abusing Paul’s younger sister. • His mother had clinical depression and admitted to Paul that he was the product of an affair with a former lover.
Karla leannehomolka • Born on May 4th, 1970 in Port Credit, Ontario. • Eldest of three sisters, one being Tammy which Paul and Karla raped and murdered. • Had a passion for animals and began working at a veterinary clinic. • Seemed very normal and well rounded, but was disturbed. • She was noted to have deep psychotic desires which were brought out by her husband Paul.
Crimes • December 24th, 1990, Paul and Karla drugged and raped her 15 year old sister Tammy Lyn. • As they are videotaping her and sexually assaulting her, the girl chokes on her own vomit and dies. • January 1991, Bernardo picks up a teenage hitchhiker in St. Catharines, and takes her to their home as a sex slave. • After raping the girl, he dumps her on a city street. • June 15th, 1991, Bernardo kidnaps Leslie Mahaffy, a 14 year old girl from the yard of her Burlington home and takes her back to his home as a sex slave.
crimes • He strangles Leslie to death and cuts up her body, putting the pieces into concrete blocks. • 14 days later, Leslie's body parts are discovered in Lake Gibson, south of St. Catharines. • The same day, Bernardo and Homolka get married. • April 16th, 1992, Bernardo and Homolka kidnap 15-year-old Kristen French and take her home as a sex slave. • 3 days later, Bernardo strangles Kristen to death and disposes of her body.
Facts and prosecution arguements • May 18th, 1993, Bernardo is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven other serious crimes in connection with the deaths of Leslie and Kristen. • Homolka is charged with two counts of manslaughter. Although, Homolka's plea-bargain goes to court and is approved. • She is sentenced to 12 years in prison because she is an extremely important asset in testifying against Bernardo in court. • Bernardo pleads not guilty to all charges. • After Ken Murray, Bernardo’s lawyer, receives a call from Bernardo telling him that there are videotapes in the bathroom ceiling at his house, he resigns as his lawyer.
Facts and prosecution arguements • The defense is assumed by John Rosen who is granted a few extra months to prepare his new case. • Rosen then turns over to police the videotapes he received from Murray. • The tapes show Bernardo and Homolka raping Tammy, Leslie, Kristen and Jane Doe, and are used as evidence to support the charges against Bernardo in court. • The strength of the conviction was heavily dependent on Karla’s testimony; However, the videotapes of Homolka and Bernardo sexually assaulting and murdering the three girls were the key pieces of evidence that proved that Bernardo was guilty.
Defense presented • Bernardo pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, but accepted the rape charges. • He claims that all of the girl’s deaths were accidental, but then later states that Karla was the one to murder the girls, and he only sexually assaulted them. • He says that he left the house to get take-out food and to rent movies, and each time when he returned, the girls were dead. • There is no evidence to prove any of Bernardo’s statements, and Karla testifies against Bernardo saying she had nothing to do with their murders. • Bernardo’s defense was extremely weak and had no evidence to support his claims. His pleas were unsuccessful as the jury found him guilty of all 9 charges against him.
Evidence summary • The 6 video tapes found in the bathroom ceiling of Bernardo’s home indicated the torture of the 3 teenagers, and has both Bernardo and Homolka starring in them. • This is significant to the case because it provides physical evidence of Bernardo and Homolka with the girls sexually assaulting them. • The police also found detailed written descriptions of every one of the Scarborough rapes, plus an extensive library of books and videos on sexual deviation, pornography and serial killers in the Bernardo-Homolka home. • This is significant because it is physical evidence that Bernardo did in fact rape a large number of girls, and had admitted to it in these letters and journals. • Also, the collection of the pornography, sexual deviation, and serial killers exemplify Bernardo’s twisted mind and motives.
Evidence summary • After Karla was checked into a psychiatric hospital for assessment, she wrote a letter to her parents stating that she and Paul were in fact responsible for the murder of her sister Tammy: • Dear Mom, Dad and Lori,This is the hardest letter I've ever had to write and you'll probably all hate me once you read it. I've kept this inside myself for so long and I just can't lie to you anymore. Both Paul and I are responsible for Tammy's death. Paul was "in love" with her and wanted to have sex with her. He wanted me to help him. He wanted me to get sleeping pills from work to drug her with. He threatened me and physically and emotionally abused me when I refused. No words I can say can make you understand what he put me through. So stupidly I agreed to do as he said. But something maybe the combination of drugs and the food she ate that night caused her to vomit. I tried so hard to save her. I am so sorry. But no words I can say can bring her back I would gladly give my life for hers. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, for I will never forgive myself.Karla —XOXO
Jury decision and sentence • September 1, 1995, Paul Bernardo was convicted of a number of offences, including the two first-degree murders and two aggravated sexual assaults, and sentenced to life in prison. • Later, Paul was also declared a "Dangerous Offender", making it unlikely he will ever be released. • Since his conviction, he has been held in solitary confinement at the Kingston Penitentiary in Kingston, Ontario, for protection from the other inmates. • In return for a plea bargain (12 years in prison for manslaughter), Karla testified against Bernardo in his murder trial. • Homolka was released from prison on July 4, 2005.
Theories • Socialization Theory: suggests that the key influences leading to criminal behavior are found in the upbringing, peer groups, and role models. • This ties closely with Bernardo, because as a child he watched his father abuse Paul’s sister, and go through trial as he was convicted for child molestation. • Bernardo was exposed to all of this sexual abuse at a young age which most likely influenced him greatly. • If his father at one point was his role model, the things that his father does are the things that he subconsciously aspires to do as well.
theories • The Differential Association Theory: developed by Edwin H. Sutherland, suggests that because an individual associates more with members of a group who favor deviance, than with members of a group who favor societal norms, that the individual is more inclined to act defiantly. • It states that learning criminal behavior occurs within primary groups such as family, friends, and peers. • An individuals’ behavior is primarily influenced by their family, since that is the first group interaction they receive. • In Bernardo’s case, his behavior is greatly influenced by his father actions, which meant that when his father was molesting children, Bernardo was learning similar behaviors.
photos • This is the morgue photo of Tammy Homolka, Karla’s sister that Paul and Karla drugged, raped, and murdered.
Photos • This is Karla after Paul physically abused her. Specialists say that the dark bruising around the eyes is caused from an intense blow to the back of the skull.
photos • Karla and Paul at their best on their wedding day, and happily married after having a party at their home with their closest friends.
photos • The three girls that Karla and Paul raped and murdered. From left to right: Tammy Homolka, Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French.
Works cited • Bardsley, Marilyn. "Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka." Most Notorious Serial Killers. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2011. <http://www.trutv.com/library/ crime/serial_killers/notorious/bernardo/14.html>. • Blair, Annice, et al. Canadian and International Law. Canada: Oxford University Press, 2004. N. pag. Print. • "Chronology of the Paul Bernardo Case." Canada.com. N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 9 pr. 2011. <http://www.canada.com/national/features/homolka/story.html?id=bab9c4c1-d0ac-4bbe-bd54-abdcc4096051>. • "Differential Association Theory." Criminology Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2011. <http://criminology.wikia.com/wiki/ Differential_Association_Theory>. • "The Ken and Barbie Killers." The REAL Story of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.N.p., 15 Sept. 2009. Web. 9 Apr. 2011. <http://darkerinthelight.wordpress.com/>. • "Paul Bernardo Summary." BookRags.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Paul_Bernardo>.