One of the most “notorious women” in Canadian history is about to be released from prison sometime today. Along with her now ex husband Paul Bernardo Karla Homolka was arrested in connection with the rape murder of two young women. Although Mr. Bernardo will never see the outside of prison walls again(he was branded a dangerous offender which means he never has to be released)Ms. Holmolka received only a twelve years sentence through a plea bargain .
During the couples trial it became clear that although there was evidence to convict Mr. Bernardo on one of the crimes, it was not sufficient to see him put away indefinitely. The public outcry over the horrific nature of the crimes pressured the office of The Attorney General of Ontario to seek any means at their disposal to secure a dangerous offender conviction.
At the time the detectives investigating the crimes knew that there was a video recording in existence that Mr. Bernardo and Ms. Holmolka had made of themselves with the victims. As it was obviously not in his interest to reveal it’s whereabouts Mr. Bernardo was not about to tell where it was hidden.
Ms. Holmolka’s lawyers had already taken the approach in their defence that their client was as much a victim as the girls raped and murdered. She was portrayed as a innocent trapped in a nightmare world by an violent and dangerous man who would have killed her if she didn’t play along.
Therefore they were more then happy to be as accommodating as possible to the prosecutors, as long as there was something in it for them. Ms. Holmolka was given the opportunity to plead guilty to manslaughter which carries the maximum sentence of twelve years. She directed the police to a false ceiling in the bedroom she had shared with Mr. Bernardo.
The public outcry when the terms of her sentencing deal were announced, at least in the tabloid press, was nothing to the field day that followed the video’s first screening. The images from the video were interpreted by the press as showing Ms. Holmolka as a more then willing participant.
Aside from the usual baying for the return of the death penalty that seems to accompany almost any murder trial, the tabloids had the extra bone to chew on of Karla Holmolka getting off easy. Headlines called for the resignation of everyone from the chief of police who commanded the investigating force, the attorney general of Ontario, to the premier of the province. At the very least they demanded the plea bargain be destroyed. The response to the to the attorney general’s comment that it would be unethical to set that precedent, was who cares.
Article comments
1 - Wendy Babcock
I am so sick of Karla Holmoka! We have worse serial killers in Canada, we have one running around in Alberta and know one seems to care, because like you pointed out, no one cares for sex workers, we're disposible. You would think after Pickton that things would have changed, but unfortunatley they haven't if we have learned anything from this disaster it's that prostitutes are expendable in the eyes of the law and the government, the murders of prostitutes is a National Disaster, one that needs to be solved ASAP!
2 - Victor Plenty
Gypsyman, well done. Such a sober summary of this case must be difficult to write, given all the emotional pandering and uproar over it in the print media.
I've intentionally avoided most coverage of this case, knowing there would be little truth in most of it, despite being filled with many details I'd be better off not knowing.
Thank you for covering the details needed to understand, while leaving out those calculated to evoke fear and outrage. You've managed to make it clear why so many people are so upset about it, without making your coverage disturbing all by itself. That's a rare achievement in "true crime" reporting these days.
3 - rapid
Gypsyman is one sick person who himself should consider taking counselling. The fact that he not only empathizes but sympathizes with a vicious cold hearted psychopathic murderer shows there is something seriously wrong with him.
Is there no sense of justice in his soul? Sure the families of victims will not get their daughters back but how do you think they will feel knowing that the woman who committed the most heinous, depraved form of brutality on their young daughters is walking around free.
Either Gypsyman hasn't got his facts right or he is deliberately twisting them to create a sympathetic character out of Karla-the monster.
"Things we do know are that her family background and her psychological profile are consistent with that of a woman susceptible to manipulation and abuse."
Who the hell gave Gypsy this information. The fact is her background complete opposite of a woman susceptible to abuse and manipulation. She has a high IQ of 130. She comes from a very supportive and stable family. Her family lived close by even after she was married. She was financially secure. All this point to a psycopath who is more of a manipulator than manipulated.
Stop spreading false information and their misplaced empathies then may be there can be a proper perspective in this issue.
4 - Tom
Karla is an awesome woman, too include very, very gorgeous and so sexy !!! I would gladly let her stay with me at my home here in the United States -- If for no other reason than to provide her the privacy I'm sure she yearns for... Shoot -- I'd even pay money just to go out on a date with her... She's all that !!!
5 - joe
i think karla should still be locked up she will probebly reeffend.Because she is a woman she is getting away with the legal system and thats not fair.She should be punished just like the men .
6 - Jet
she kidnapped tortured raped and videotaped performing these acts on 2 innocent kids and disposed of their bodies by mutilating them first. Not forgetting she also raped and abused her own sister. What more clarity do we need. Any sugur coating is pointless. The woman is a creep a pervert and a complete disgrace of a human just like her husband and she needs to be sent back to a cage where she belongs.
7 - Jet
I also feel that to resolve the problems with prostitutes being murdered and raped by murderers and rapists I suggest that they discontinue choosing the sex trade industry as a means of income. Everybody knows that from the beginning of time it's one of the most dangerous professions out there.
Prostitutes in Canada and the states need to take reponsibility for their choices and stop relying on the legal system to save them from something that they are doing which is totally illegal in itself.
If you are going to put yourself in a position where you are dealing with men paying for sex and living out strange sexual fettishes then you're playing with fire to begin with . Definately it is horrible and heartbreaking that prostitutes have been a target by sick people but it cannot in any way be compared to a person targeting young children who in no way have put themselves in any circumstance to be the subject of a sick deviants entertainment.