Where Is Paul Bernardo Now? He Was One Half of the "Ken and Barbie Killers"
Paul Bernardo is still in prison while Karla Homolka has long since been released and started a new life.
Published Nov. 25 2024, 9:33 a.m. ET
Paul Bernardo, along with his girlfriend Karla Homolka, were given the moniker the Ken and Barbie Killers, for superficial and chilling reasons. This was because Paul Bernardo looked like the kind of clean-cut kid that one might find on a college campus while Homolka could have been a cheerleader. Sadly what she was cheering on was the brutal murder and sexual assault of three girls, one of whom was Homolka's sister.
According to the BBC, in 1995 Bernado was sentenced to life in prison without parole for at least 25 years. This means he could have been released as early as 2020. So, where is Paul Bernardo now? Here's what we know.
Where is Paul Bernardo now? He's in prison, but that could change.
In June 2023, Bernardo was moved to a lower security prison after spending nearly 30 years in a maximum security facility. It was unclear why the move occurred. "We are restricted by law in what we can divulge about an offender's case," said the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) in a statement. "We regret any pain and concern this has caused."
Two months after he was moved to La Macaza Institution, a medium-security prison outside of Montreal, it was revealed that "Correctional Service Canada stopped Paul Bernardo from having his lawyer make a statement to the media," per the CBC. Canadian Prison Law Association president Tom Engel told the outlet he was "at a loss to understand where (Correctional Service Canada) would think that that's part of their role to shield victims from statements a prisoner might make to the media."
On Nov. 26, 2024, Bernardo will be up for parole after being denied in 2018 and 2021. Initially, the families of 15-year-old Kristen French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy were told they couldn't be present at the hearing, reported the CBC. That was swiftly reversed after this decision sparked outrage from them and the public.
Where is Karla Homolka now?
Homolka's participation in these crimes felt particularly heinous to many because her little sister Tammy was one of the victims. On Dec. 23, 1990, Bernardo and Homolka spent time at a family Christmas party. The night ended with drugging and sexually assaulting Tammy. The couple used animal tranquilizers, which caused the young girl to choke to death on her own vomit. Three years later when police executed a search of their home, they found video recordings of their crimes, per the CBC.
Three months later, Homolka struck a plea deal that was unusually kind given what she was accused of. In exchange for testifying against Bernardo, Homolka agreed to a 12-year sentence on two counts of manslaughter, reported the CBC. On July 4, 2005, she was released from prison. There have been several reports regarding where she lives, including a 2017 article in USA Today that revealed she was married with children and was occasionally volunteering at their elementary school.
