Karla Homolka“Conflicted by her conscience but still unable to escape”

Early Life

In her moms eyes:

• Karla was extremely beautiful, talented, and eager.

• She had a lot of friends growing up

• She had a great love for animals

• She was a completely normal teenage girl…

In her friends, teachers, and the rest of her families eyes:

• Also very beautiful, talented and eager.

• Also had a great love for animalsBut beneath all of that…• Perfectionist, obsessive, stubborn,

and “boy crazy”• She was depressed for a short period

of time in high school. • Karla also had satanic thoughts

throughout her high school years.

Early Life Cont.

• Got a job at pet center while in high school.

• She met Paul Bernardo in the hotel restaurant she was staying at while visiting a pet convention.

• Karla and Paul Bernardo started dating and became very close, seeing him every weekend.

• Married Paul Bernardo, bought a house together.

• Never in trouble with the law…

Accused Crimes:Rape and Murder of

Leslie Mahaffy

Kristen French

Tammy Homolka(younger sister)

Method of Murders:-Poisoning with the sedative Halcion and halothane.-Raping and abusing-Strangulation

Crimes:Tammy Homolka

• Karla’s younger sister• Karla was extremely jealous of her

sister because her husband Paul was “In love with Tammy”

• At the Family Christmas party after everyone went to bed Karla told Paul she had one more Christmas present for him, the present was that she would drug her younger sister for him and film him raping her.

• The couple got Tammy drunk and laced her drinks with Halcion, after she passed out they made sure she stayed asleep with a Halothane covered rag.

• The mixture of drugs and alcohol made Tammy very sick and choke on her own vomit.

• Karla called the ambulance and once they came they ruled it an accidental choking of her own vomit, no one suspected her or Paul.

Crimes:Leslie Mahaffy

• Leslie was locked out of her house past curfew when she ran into Paul Bernardo.

• Paul offered her a cigarette and she took the offer, they walked to his car where the cigarette was and he pulled out a knife forcing her to get in the car.

• He took her home to meet Karla where they raped her and recorded it.

• Paul strangled her and then him and Karla cut up her body and mixed it with concrete.

• They dumped the body in a Lake where it was found 2 weeks later.

• Very few suspected Karla.

When they found the concrete

Crimes:Kristen French

• Kristen was walking home after school when Karla asked her for directions, she was glad to help them until Paul Bernardo Pulled a knife on her and forced her to get in the car.

• She was held at their house for 3 days before murdered.

• Karla helped Paul rape and film her.• After 3 days Paul strangled her and

Karla took her to a ditch where she dumped her body.

• The body was found soon after.

• By this time many people suspected Paul and Karla and they were prime suspects.

Kristen’s Crime Scene

Evidence• DNA samples of both her and her husband Paul Bernardo

• Witnesses saying they saw them with victim or saw and heard unusual things from their house

• Videotapes of both rapes and murders that included Bernardo and herself in them.

• Karla’s confession to family and police about murders after being beaten badly by Bernardo.

Prison Sentence

• Twelve years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea for manslaughter and a testimony against Paul Bernardo (Husband).

• Was kept at Kingston’s prison for women

• Was moved to Joliette Institution

Kingston’s Prison for Women

“Ken and Barbie Killers”

• The nickname Bernardo and Karla were given

Why?- They were both young, beautiful, blonde, and superficial.

Books• Lethal Marriage: The Unspeakable

Crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka

• Invisible Darkness

• Deadly Innocence

• The Masks of Karla Homolka

• A Marriage Made for Murder

• Karla

KarlaThe Movie

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=94Z2XxPxQm8

Theory

There are many theories that would apply to Karla Homolka but I think the most accurate would be the Social Control Theory. The social control theory examines how society influences criminal behavior. When bonds such as attachment, commitment, involvement and belief are broken criminal behavior can occur.

Karla Homolka had a very strong bond with her boyfriend/husband. She was always wanting to please him, she would do anything so he would not leave her. Karla followed her husband and that is when the criminal behavior began. This is why I think social control theory is the most accurate for Karla.