Paul Bernardo: Canadian Serial Killer and Rapist

Bernardo and his wife, Karla Homolka, tortured and killed teenaged girls in a quiet suburb of St. Catharine's, Ontario. When police tracked down the couple, they discovered a string of past rapes and murders, including the death of Karla's younger sister.

Early Life

Paul Kenneth Bernardo was born on August 27, 1964 in Scarborough, Ontario. He was an illegitimate child, conceived when his mother had an affair. Her husband, an accountant, raised Paul as his own.

The elder Bernardo was abusive. He molested his daughter, and other girls. Paul's mother gained weight and went into a deep depression.

When he was sixteen, Paul discovered he was illegitimate. Resentful, he began to verbally abuse his mother.

After graduating from Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute, Paul Bernardo worked for Amway. The sales techniques fascinated him, and he bought dozens of motivational tapes and get-rich-quick books.

Bernardo tried some of the psychological techniques on women in bars. He enjoyed publicly humiliating the women he met and dated. In 1987, after he graduated from the University of Toronto, Paul met Karla Homolka.

Karla was from St. Catharine's, about an hour from Toronto. She was seventeen, blonde and pretty. Paul and Karla shared dark sexual fantasies, and she encouraged his sadistic behavior. She was the woman of his dreams.

They became engaged on Christmas Eve, 1989. Karla didn't yet know the full story.

The Scarborough Rapist

In May of 1987, Bernardo raped a young woman in front of her own house in Scarborough. Ten days later, he attacked a 19-year-old woman in her backyard, raping her for over an hour.

Between 1987 and 1990, Paul Bernardo raped eleven girls and women, and assaulted at least four more, as police hunted for the man dubbed the “Scarborough Rapist”. Working from victims' descriptions, composite drawings and phone tips, police tracked down Paul Bernardo. After questioning, they released him. It didn't seem possible that the charming, well-educated young man was a rapist.

Bernardo told Karla he was innocent. He moved to St. Catharine's in February, 1991. In April, Bernardo raped a fourteen-year-old girl.

It was not his first sex crime in St. Catharine's.

Tammy Homolka

While living in Toronto, Bernardo visited Karla and often stayed with her family. He'd lost his job at Price-Waterhouse, and was smuggling cigarettes for a living.

He became obsessed with Karla's fifteen-year-old sister, Tammy. On December 23, 1990, Karla decided to give Paul a Christmas present - her sister's virginity.

The couple gave Tammy a rum and eggnog drink, laced with sleeping pills. Tammy soon lost consciousness. Karla put a cloth soaked with the anesthetic, Halocane, over her sister's face. Bernardo and Homolka videotaped themselves as they both raped Tammy.

The unconscious girl vomited, and started to choke. Unable to revive her, Homolka and Bernardo quickly dressed her, and moved her into her own bedroom, before Karla called 911.

Tammy never regained consciousness. The coroner ruled her death an accident.

Shortly thereafter, Paul and Karla rented a bungalow in Port Dalhousie, a suburb of St. Catharine's.

Jane Doe

Karla had befriended a teenaged girl (called “Jane Doe” at the trials). On June 7, 1991, after a night out with the girl, Karla invited her home. Karla plied her with alcohol, laced with the sedative Halcion. When “Jane” lost consciousness, Karla called Bernardo to tell him his wedding gift was ready.

Karla raped her while Bernardo videotaped the attack. Then, he also raped and somodized the unconscious girl.

In the morning, the teenager was sick, and didn't know she had been raped. She returned for another visit in August. Bernardo and Homolka drugged her again. As they started to rape her, “Jane” stopped breathing.

Karla called 911. A few minutes later, she called back and cancelled the emergency. Again, the girl was unaware she had been raped. At a later visit in December, Bernardo and Karla pressured her to have sex with Bernardo. She refused, and left.

Leslie Mahaffy

Paul Bernardo was no longer content with drugging and raping his victims. On June 15, 1991, he was in Burlington stealing license plates, when he saw Leslie Mahaffy.

The fourteen-year-old had been locked out of her house, and needed somewhere to spend the night. She asked Bernardo if he had any cigarettes. Bernardo blindfolded her, forced her into his car, and drove her back to St. Catharine's.

In the twenty-four hours that followed, he and Karla tortured and raped the blindfolded girl repeatedly. They recorded Leslie's ordeal on videotape. Finally, Homolka drugged her with sleeping pills, and Bernardo strangled her. They left her body in the basement, and went upstairs for Father's Day dinner with Karla's family.