commentary by Patrick H. Moore
Regular readers of All Things Crime Blog are probably aware that we have the habit of occasionally posting Karla Homolka articles, some of which are fairly extensive. On a Wednesday morning in July, as I blearily crawled to my computer and logged onto the blog, I noticed that our “Karla” posts were going through the roof. When this happens, it generally means that the criminal in question is “in the news”.
I wondered if perhaps some disaster had befallen Karla, but when I googled her name, I discovered that the disaster had befallen (or rather may befall) yet another Paul Bernardo victim.
The grim truth is too horrifying to approach directly so instead I will try to approach this from the side, ferret-style. What is the most horrible fate that could possibly befall a father or mother? Well, obviously there are lots of potentials horrors that could drive a parent to strong drink, but one of the worst possible fates would be for your daughter to marry a notorious convict serving a lengthy prison sentence for murder or some other horrible violent crime..
For example, in the event my daughter decided to marry Russell Williams or Charles Manson, I would probably have to garrote myself.
But suppose the lucky man leading my daughter astray was Mr. Disreputable himself, the Scarborough rapist and serial killer Paul Bernardo?
I would start by using logic and common sense. After all, being married to a serial killer serving an extended period of incarceration could hardly be a “walk in the park”. If that didn’t work, I might resort to bribery. And if that failed, I would plead, I would beg; I would use circuitous logic and reverse psychology. I would do anything and everything to spare my dear daughter the dreadful fate of marrying Bernardo or any other dangerous convict.
Nevertheless, the despicable Bernardo had succeeded in smiting a pretty young thing with his redoubtable charms and a prison marriage may be in the works.
Sam Pazzano and Randy Richmond of QMI Agency write:
From a prison cell, serial sex killer Paul Bernardo has charmed and manipulated an attractive, university-educated woman into planning to marry him, the Toronto Sun has learned.
The 30-year-old London, Ont., woman admitted she has been writing letters to the Scarborough Rapist, telling friends the schoolgirl killer is “innocent” and was a bystander to the rapes and torture slayings of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy.
Sporting a recent ankle tattoo that says “Paul’s girl” in cursive writing, she has been corresponding with Bernardo since last fall.
First of all, how in the hell can you be an innocent bystander to 25 rapes and a couple of hideous murders. The answer is: You can’t. Not unless you were roped and tied like the character in Elton John’s Sugar Bear song (“Someone Saved My Life Last Night”), in which case you likely would have been a victim yourself.
The bride-to-be seems to be a bit confused. She has informed friends that she has wedding bands and has described “Paul” as someone who’s serving time “for the most horrible crimes you could imagine.”
“He is a kind man, a Christian, a very nice man,” the lucky bride-to-be told the Sun.
And a friend has quoted her as saying: “He told her not to tell her parents until after they were married.”
Fortunately, there is some evidence that the fetching young woman is reconsidering her cockeyed plan.
In fact, her parents insist that “reality has set in” and that their daughter is reconsidering.
A key element in Bernardo’s seduction scheme appears to have been calling his betrothed “the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Her father believes she was vulnerable because: “She has had a number of bad relationships that undermined her self-esteem despite her brilliance. She is looking for someone who will love her unconditionally.”
Dad thinks that the woman’s intelligence, emotional fragility and belief in her own street smarts made her the perfect victim for Bernardo. He explained that his daughter also believed in Bernardo’s innocence.
“He has convinced her that he didn’t do this (rapes or murders). But, after the conversation last week, I think she has changed her mind.
“It was very easy for him to get her locked into a train of thought. I’ve been very explicit that he actually did these things and reality sunk in this last week in a big way.
“I am getting the feeling that from the way she was defending him in the beginning that now reality has finally kicked in and she realizes, ‘What have I got myself into?
“I told her the media have something that indicates (you are planning to marry him) and she says, ‘Well, he doesn’t get out for three more years (2018, first eligibility for parole).”
But with the relationship now coming to light, the woman said she “did something that got people upset and she is rethinking … and struggling with it.”
In an interview, Bernardo’s beloved appears to have been evasive, but never indicated she didn’t want to marry him or that the wedding plans had been (or were being) called off.
In an odd twist, the woman admitted asking her pastor about forgiveness, although she never referred to Bernardo by name.
She quoted the pastor as saying, “It is not for another person to judge his brother.
“And I said, ‘But what about the worst thing ever, could that be forgiven?’ ” she recalled.
And the pastor apparently said, ‘As soon as that person committed the act, God has already forgiven him.”
Remember that, ye haters of Homolka…
* * * * *
Paul Bernardo is now half-a-century old. The pretty boy is not nearly so pretty anymore, but could still be considered reasonably attractive for someone tipping the mid-century mark. He is serving a life sentence for the first-degree murders of Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, and was declared a dangerous offender in 1995 after pleading guilty to 32 sex-related crimes, including 12 rapes in the east end of Toronto dating to 1987.
Hey! All you people that like to paint Karla as the truly dark one and Bernardo as the vixen’s victim should realize that whatever you may think about Homolka does not change the fact that Bernardo did some really rancid shit.
In Canada, all inmates, with the exception of those on disciplinary restrictions or at risk for family violence or identified as Special Handling Unit cases, are permitted “private family visits” of up to 72 hours duration once every two months. Spouses are included within this category which means that if Bernardo’s beloved lawfully weds him, they would presumably have the opportunity to screw like bunnies, which means, unless Uncle Paul has drastically changed his ways, his young lady would soon be introduced to, shall we say… No, we shall not say.
The CSC can neither confirm nor deny any nuptial plans for an inmate.
CSC informed the Sun via email: “Once an inmate makes a request to marry while incarcerated, the institutional management along with the inmate’s case management team will assess the request to make sure it would not pose a risk to the security of the institution, staff and public.
“The institutional head is the authority responsible for determining if a marriage will be accommodated within the facility,” the statement continued.
CSC has “no jurisdiction over whether two people can obtain a marriage licence.” Canadian marriages are governed by provincial legislation.
It is noted that Bernardo is eligible for day parole on Feb. 17, 2015, and full parole on Feb. 17, 2018. It is anticipated that due to his notoriety, he is unlikely to ever be paroled. Furthermore, as a dangerous offender, Bernardo has no entitlement to statutory release.
* * * * *
I feel for the young woman’s parents. On the other hand, Bernardo marrying at this late date would be rather amusing in a dark and twisted way. And just think of the thousands of women all across North America who have secretly longed “to make beautiful music” with Uncle Paul. They are bound to be more than a little miffed.
The fact that Bernardo has convinced his betrothed that he did not commit the rapes and murders suggests that he’s as wily and oily as ever.
But in fairness, perhaps Bernardo would “treat her right” if she marries him. As the old saying goes, the “proof is in the pudding”. And conjugal prison visits could well be a “real turn-on” for Miss Naive Lovely, should she prove to be one of those that requires her sexuality to be leavened with “a bit of the old kink.”
Click on the following links to read previous Karla posts:
Watching Karla Homolka: Karla Just Did As She Pleased
Watching Karla Homolka: The Game Gets Real
Watching Karla Homolka: Karla Stacks the Deck
Karla Homolka Psychological Evaluation, Part One: Abuse Victim or Just Plain Evil?
Watching Karla Homolka: It’s a Family Affair
Was Karla Homolka a Normal Child? The Answer Is a Resounding No
Is Karla Homolka the Most Hated Woman in North America?
The Karla Homolka Files: A U.S. Perspective on Karla Homolka’s Plea Bargain
Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo: Canada’s Most Notorious Serial Killer Case