Ken and Barbie A.K.A Paul Bernardo and his wife Karla Homolka subjected a Canadian suburb to a series of horrific rapes, torture, and murder, which were the tip of the iceberg to their cruelty.
Authorities believe that Paul Bernardo was directly involved in the murder of 4 people and a whooping raping of at least 15 women over the years
Initially, Paul worked as a salesman, where he perfected the skill of persuasion. He would later use the skill to lure his victims into bondage. Astonishingly, he was an avid reader of Bret Easton’s Elli’s horror novel, “American Psycho,” which he read like a Bible. After meeting and marrying his wife Karla, his sadistic appetite grew.
Furthermore, his wife propelled his behavior through their BDSM sexual lifestyle, which later turned them into bloodthirsty stalkers, abusive and cold murder couples. Nevertheless, where did Paul get his devilish character cropped from? Read on!
Who Was The Ken And Barbie Killers?
Paul and Karla Homolka met in 1987 when they were aged 23 and 17, respectively. The two became so fond of each other, and this intensified when Paul discovered Karla had a strong interest in sadism and masochism( S&M). Eventually, they entered into a sadomasochistic affiliation with Paul being the master and Karla the slave. Besides, reports say that Karla knew Paul was the dangerous “Scarborough Rapist” and even had him approve his crimes while admitting he has zero guilt over them.
The Dark History Of Paul Bernardo
Paul was born to perfect and financially well-off couples, but things changed at age 9. His father was convicted for child molestation, and rumors circulated that his daughter, Paul’s sister, was the actual victim. Even though Paul was untroubled by his father’s conviction, the situation got out of hand at 16.
Furthermore, his mother broke his heart through the revelation that he was born out of wedlock. This elevated Paul’s outward behavior, and his mother got the receiving end by being verbally abused. Paul completely lost control while studying at the University of Toronto and began picking up random women at clubs and bars, after which he would assault and humiliate them.
The Scarborough Rapist Is Innate In Paul Bernardo
At the onset of 1987, Scarborough, Ontario, had witnessed several depraved crimes with no arrests. As of 4th May, a woman was seized and brutally raped, which followed two similar assault cases within the same week. Although the profiles of the women revealed to be aged around 15-21, the authorities could do nothing but tie down all the incidence to one man. This led to newspapers to coin the name “Scarborough Rapist” to define the criminal.
In 5 successive years, Paul had raped and made attempts to rape over 15 young women. Many of his victims were forcibly grabbed near bus stops, while others managed to fight off the perpetrator. Sadly, the authorities were not able to instigate Paul as the criminal behind these rape cases.
Family Rape Gone Amiss
After their vibrant marriage on 29th June 1991, Paul was begging to get bored of Karla, and he was reported to have sexual advances with Karla’s 15- year old sister Tammy. As a sign of pleasing her husband, Karla promised to offer Tammy’s virginity to Paul as a Christmas present.
23rd December 1991, while at a home party, Karla spiked Tammy’s drink with an animal sedative that she had stolen from her workplace. While the entire family slumbered, Karla placed a clothe soaked in halothane over Tammy’s mouth while taking turns to rape her with Paul and videotaped the whole incident.
Tammy began throwing up, prompting the couple to conceal the evidence and called for help. Even though Tammy was whisked away in an ambulance, she never made it and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Astonishingly, the medical report on her cause of death was attributed to accidental alcohol poisoning due to the unexplainable chemical burns on her face.
Matrinonial Harmony
Similarly, the same day Paul and Karla got married the same day a traumatized couple canoeing on the waters of Lake Gibson stumbled on submerged concrete blocks containing human body parts. Later on, the investigative teams revealed that the remains belonged to one Leslie Mahaffy, a 14-year-old reported missing a fortnight ago. The authorities later learned that the girl met her death at the couple’s hands, Paul and Karla. They had abducted, assaulted, and abused her for several days before sandwiching her body on the concrete blocks and discarding it in the Lake.
The couple’s thirst for blood intensified after murdering Leslie. Barely two months had not passed before another lifeless body was discovered by a roadside ditch. This time around, the couple “Ken and Barbie” had abducted, molested, and murdered a 15-year-old girl, Kristen French.
The investigative teams linking up the two homicides traced them back to be orchestrated by the same suspect. Furthermore, a colleague of Paul tipped off the officers that Paul could be the main instigator owing to his tales of disturbing fondness for violence.
What Happened To Ken And Barbie Killers?
By January 1993, Karla had been fed up with their estranged marriage prompting her to walk out on him. Two months later, a DNA sample gotten from Paul revealed he was the Scarborough Rapist at large. This prompted the authorities to pursue him, and a month later, he was arrested.
Despite her active participation in the torture and rape of 4 young girls, Karla was never apprehended for her crimes. Instead, she surrendered herself to the authorities. Despite his arrests, the court needed a witness to testify against him to have him convicted. In a twist of events, Karla denied the charges against her claiming she was a victim of Paul’s crimes.
Karla went further to file for divorce, a move that made the court believe that indeed she was a pawn in Paul’s horrendous acts. She convinced the court of her innocence and her willingness to testify against her husband, Paul.
Furthermore, she claimed that her husband had admitted to murdering 4 women and raping and torturing over 15 women in her testimony. Nevertheless, the videotapes recovered in their house showered Karla as a co-conspirator in several of Paul’s atrocious attacks.
Eventually, the court found her guilty and sentenced her in 1993 to 12 years imprisonment. However, her sentence included an entitlement to parole after a stint of 3 years of good conduct. This prompted the Canadian press to term the deal as “A Deal with the Devil.”
Karla was released in 2005, remarried, started a new family under Leanne Bordelaise, and spent some quality time in Antilles and Guadalupe. In 2014 she returned to Canada with her family, where she currently lives, although under the low key of the press.
On the other hand, Paul was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes against humanity which included, massive abductions, rape, and cold blood murder of Tammy and Kristen. However, it is believed that the numbers of rape and murder could be higher than the cases proven before the court.
Paul tried appealing for parole in 2018 after serving 25 years in prison. However, the parole was dismissed because he has never issued an apology to the families of the victims, and he has never been remorseful.
Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Documentary
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