Barbie & Ken: Murder Edition!

TRIGGER WARNING: Violent Sexual Assault

Walk up to any Canadian on the street and say the name Paul Bernardo, they’ll spit at your feet. One of Canada’s most prolific serial killers, Bernardo was responsible for 3 deaths and over 30 sexual assaults. His fate for carrying out these crimes is life in solitary confinement. Yet, why does his murderous accomplice, Karla Homolka, walk free?

Paul and Karla were seen as the ideal couple. Dubbed the “Barbie and Ken” couple, they presented as a beautiful and happy pair. Inside, their relationship was anything but perfect. Before we get into the knitty-gritty of it all, let’s go back in time. 

Paul was born in 1964 in Ontario. Similar to his relationship with Karla, his family presented a united and happy front. That was far from reality, with Paul’s father eventually being arrested for child molestation. When Paul was 16 years old, his mother confessed he was the product of an affair. After this revelation, his behaviour towards his mother and other women changed drastically. 

Paul & Karla together (Courtesy of Psychology Today)

In 1987, a woman in Scarborough was attacked and raped after getting off the bus. For the next five years, up to 24 more assaults and attempted assaults took place. The assaulter was dubbed the “Scarborough Rapist”. Paul was questioned multiple times, and a composite sketch from a victim resembled him. The same year the assaults began, Paul and Karla met. Karla was 17, Paul was 24. 

In 1990, Bernardo and Homolka were engaged. Paul, upset that Karla wasn’t a virgin when they met, allegedly ordered that Holmolka bring him a virgin. She decided on her younger sister, 15-year-old Tammy Homolka. After a Christmas party hosted by her family, Karla drugged Tammy and brought her to Bernardo to rape. While unconscious, Tammy vomited and choked to death. After cleaning and placing the body on the bed, the pair claimed she vomited in her sleep. Her death was ruled an accident. A similar incident occurred later, where the couple drugged and abused a young co-worker of Karla’s. She survived and had no memory of the event.

Karla and Paul on their wedding Day (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)

One year after Tammy’s death, the pair married. The same day of their ceremony, boaters in St. Catharines discovered concrete blocks that encased human limbs and a head. The next day, the torso was found. The remains were identified as 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy. A year after, the body of 15-year-old Kristen French was found. Police suspected the cases were connected.

In 1993, Karla left Paul after he viciously beat her with a flashlight. Shortly after, Bernardo’s DNA was matched with the Scarborogh Rapist, and he was put under watch.

Karla Homolka - Frank Gunn (The Canadian Press)

Karla originally wasn’t cooperative with the police. She eventually agreed to testify if she was granted full immunity. The attorney general wouldn’t agree to immunity, but offered a reduced sentence. During the four day interrogation, Homolka claimed that Bernardo was the one pulling all the strings, and she was an “unwilling participant” who lived in terror of him. Homolka was sentenced to two 12-year prison terms, to be served concurrently. However, unbeknownst to the prosecutor, Bernardo’s lawyer had retrieved six tapes hidden in Paul’s home. The tapes showed the graphic rape of Tammy, and the torture and rapes of Mahaffy and French. The tapes also proved that Karla wasn’t forced into the acts, but willingly participated in them. These tapes weren’t given to the police until 1994, over a year after Homolka’s sentencing. Despite outcries over her light sentencing, the Crown stated they had to stand by their agreement.

Bernardo’s trial began in 1995. After four months, he was found guilty on all charges and was sentenced to life in prison. Furthermore, he was declared a dangerous offender, which meant that parole was unlikely. This rang true, as his effort in 2000 to appeal was turned down, as were his 2015 and 2018 attempts. He has been in maximum security prison since 2013.

Homolka served her 12 year sentence and was released in 2005. After her release, the judge imposed a series of restrictions on her movement and banned her from having contact with anyone under 16. Only months later, her conditions were overturned by a different judge. She settled in Montreal, where she gave birth to a son. She and her new husband- the brother of her prison lawyer- eventually moved to Guadeloupe under a new name. However, she was discovered in 2012 and returned to Quebec, under intense scrutiny. She resides there to this day.

The case of these two killers has fascinated and appalled many who have come to know the facts. The horrible fate of Tammy, Leslie and Kristen and Karla’s ability to escape any true form of justice is just another twisted tale of Canadian history. 

#BarbieAndKen #TrueCrime #CanadianHistory #KarlaHomolka #PaulBernardo

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My name is Rebecca Skye Nicholson. I went to Carleton University for Psychology. I always had a passion for writing, and after graduating from University I felt like I needed to pursue what was important to me. I applied to the Algonquin Professional Writing Program for a chance to express myself in the best medium I know.

I have an interest in dark and twisted media. I’m also an avid feminist and I love reading about conspiracy theories. For my blog posts, I’ve decided to pick topics that fit into those three categories.

I Put a Spell on You: The Salem Witch Trials

'“Double, double, toil and trouble.” Witches have appeared in popular media since 1606 in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but they have been a fearsome part of human myth since the early 1300s. Witches have long been associated with women who were in cahoots with the devil, using magical powers to cause others to exhibit strange and harmful behaviours. In Salem, Massachusetts, the idea of these witches' supposed supernatural abilities lead to the deaths of over 20 women. Hundreds more were accused. 

The beginning of the Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692, when three children began to have fits; this included screaming and making unusual sounds, to contorting their bodies in weird ways. Soon, many other girls in the community began to experience the same fits, and the local doctor diagnosed them with “bewitchment”. The original girls blamed three women for their afflictions, and thus the trials began. 

The accused women were brought in. Though two denied their part in the children’s uncontrollable outbursts, the third confessed. She confessed that she had spoken to the devil, who asked her to sign his book. She admitted to signing, and claimed there were others working with him to destroy Puritans. Though her actions were most likely to save herself, her confession sparked hysteria in their community and many other women and even children in Salem were accused. 

An accused Witch in court (“The Witch no.1” Joseph E. Baker, 1892 via Library of Congress)

As more of the accused “witches” began to confess and name others, the trials overwhelmed Salem and a special court was formed. The first brought in front of the court was a woman named Bridget Bishop. Bishop was accused of using her powers to kill her second husband. As time went on, over 10 residents of Salem gave evidence of Bishop’s bewitchment on themselves, their families and even animals. Despite stating her own innocence, Bishop was found guilty and was killed on June 10th, 1692, marking the first of many deaths. 

“Execution of Bridget Bishop" at Salem, 1692” illustration by Joseph Boggs Beale (1885)

As months rolled on, many more people appeared in front of the court and were sentenced to death. Five in July, five in August, and eight in September. Even men were not safe from being accused, with one man, Giles Corey, being pressed to death with large stones for refusing to submit to a trial. While myths of women being burned at the stake are prevalent even now, this was not a practice that made its way to America. Instead, the women were hanged. Nineteen women and men were hanged, and at least five of the accused died in custody. 

There were increased cries for the court not to use “Spectral Evidence” (including dreams and visions) as proof of these women’s crimes. When the Governor, William Phips’ own wife was accused, he dissolved the court and replaced it with the Superior Court of Judicature. This put an end to spectral evidence and eventually led to the condemnation of only 3 of 56 defendants. 

As years went on, many of those who took part in the trials began to confess guilt over their involvement. This included trial judges and accusers. In 1711, a bill was passed to restore the names of those who were accused. In 1957, Massachusetts formally apologized to all but one accused woman, Elizabeth Johnson Jr. Though the reasons remain unclear as to why Johnson was not named in the resolution, she was eventually given an official pardon in 2022 due to the lobbying of an eighth-grade class from Massachusetts!

While the Salem Witch Trials were mostly driven by paranoia and religious extremism, the actions that were brought upon by the witch hunt have remained prevalent in popular culture for decades. While we enjoy the spooky imagery and exciting re-imaginings of witches in our media, the injustice that these women and men experienced show just how dark human history really is.

References:

The Witchcraft Trial of Bridget Bishop - History of Massachusetts Blog

Salem Witch Trials - Victims, Dates & Facts | HISTORY

Witchcraft: Eight Myths and Misconceptions | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk)

A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials | History| Smithsonian Magazine

This Eighth-Grade Class Wants to Clear the Name of an Accused Salem 'Witch' | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine

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My name is Rebecca Skye Nicholson. I went to Carleton University for Psychology. I always had a passion for writing, and after graduating from University I felt like I needed to pursue what was important to me. I applied to the Algonquin Professional Writing Program for a chance to express myself in the best medium I know.

I have an interest in dark and twisted media. I’m also an avid feminist and I love reading about conspiracy theories. For my blog posts, I’ve decided to pick topics that fit into those three categories.