Here's Where Paul Bernardo Is Now & What's Happened Since He Went To Prison In 1995
"As you know, he's reviled not by just people out of jail but by people in jail."
Paul Bernardo.
In 2021, a documentary about Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka brought renewed attention to the convicted couple dubbed the "Ken and Barbie Killers".
This article contains content that may be upsetting to some of our readers.
The four-part series Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes takes a look at the couple's grisly crimes that took place in the early 1990s, as well as their controversial trials and Karla Homolka's plea deal.
In 1995, Bernardo was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering two girls — 15-year-old Kristin French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy — in Canada between 1990 and 1992.
He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for at least 25 years. He was also designated a dangerous offender, meaning he's unlikely to ever be released.
CBC News reports that Bernardo went on to admit sexually assaulting 14 other women, and over 50 other charges have been brought up against him for similar alleged acts.
He was also convicted of manslaughter following the 1990 death of 15-year-old Tammy Homolka, Karla's younger sister. She died after she was drugged and sexually assaulted.
Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka
Bernardo and Homolka met in 1987 at a hotel restaurant in Scarborough, Ontario, per CBC News. At the time, she was 17 years old, while he was 23.
The couple were married by 1991, but in the years leading up to their wedding they were responsible for the death of 15-year-old Tammy Homolka and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy.
Tammy Homolka was drugged and raped on two occasions in 1990 by her sister and Paul Bernardo. On the second occasion, on December 23, Tammy choked on her own vomit and died. At the time, her death was ruled an accident by police.
Leslie Mahaffy was kidnapped, raped and killed by the couple on June 14, 1991, just two weeks before Bernardo and Homolka were married in a lavish ceremony.
In 1992, less than a year after their wedding, Bernardo enlisted Homolka's help to kidnap, rape and torture 15-year-old Kristen French. Her body was found in a ditch several weeks later.
Where is Paul Bernardo now?
In 1995, Bernardo was found guilty of all nine charges against him, including two counts of first-degree murder for killing French and Mahaffy.
As of 2022, he continues to serve a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Millhaven, Ontario. Prior to this, he was held in Kingston Penitentiary until 2013.
He has apparently spent most of his time in prison in solitary confinement.
In 2018, he was charged with possessing a weapon in prison. He allegedly had a "homemade shank composed of a screw and a pen for a handle," per CBC News.
The charge came with a maximum sentence of 10 years, although it was later withdrawn.
Speaking in 2018, Bernardo's lawyer at the time said, “As you know, he's reviled not by just people out of jail but by people in jail."
"He had no knowledge of it being there. There were many opportunities for many other people to have placed it there," he added, per Global News.
In 2021, he was denied parole for the second time in three years.
Under current legislation, Bernardo is eligible for a parole hearing every two years.
Is Karla Homolka free?
Yes, she is now.
Homolka went to police in 1993, after she was badly beaten by Bernardo with a flashlight. She filed charges against him and claimed she was an unwilling accomplice to his crimes.
Although videos had been captured during the couple's attacks on the young women, they were not initially known to the court and Homolka was able to make a deal with prosecutors before they came to light.
She pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 12 years in prison. The plea deal was dubbed "the deal with the devil."
Her case was not reopened by the courts, even when the video evidence of her involvement in the crimes later surfaced. Per the courts, she had already fulfilled her end of the deal by testifying against Bernardo.
Homolka was 35 when she was released from prison.
Unsuccessful in maintaining her post-release privacy, reports from 2017 suggested that she had changed her name to Leanne Teale and moved to Châteauguay, Quebec.
According to The Globe and Mail, after her release, Homolka married her lawyer's brother, Thierry Bordelais. They went on to have three children — a girl and two boys.
She hit the headlines in 2017 when reports said she had been volunteering at her children’s school.How old is Paul Bernardo?
Paul Bernardo is now 58 years old.
He was born in 1964 in Scarborough, Toronto.
The Paul Bernardo documentary
The documentary about Bernardo and Homolka — Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes — can be found on CTV, Discovery+, AppleTV and more.
It was released globally in December 2021.
Paul Bernardo's book
In 2015, Bernardo published an ebook on Amazon, which Global News said included violent and gory descriptions of death and terrorism.
The book, titled A MAD World Order, was later pulled from sale.
It's not clear how Bernardo was able to publish the book, as the Correctional Service of Canada said he would have had no access to the internet or email.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, call the Assaulted Women's Helpline at 1-866-863-0511. You can also contact the Support Services for Male Survivors of Sexual Assault at 1-866-887-0015.
