Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka Victims (1995)

Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, the 'Ken and Barbie Killers,' raped and murdered teenagers Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French in Ontario. Homolka received a controversial plea deal.

Status: Conviction
Type: Serial Killer Victims
Date: September 1, 1995
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
Victims: Female
Decade: 1990s

Where the case stands

Open
Partly resolved
Charges or trial
ClosedConviction

At least one person was convicted in connection with the case.

Timeline to scale

Each dot is a dated event below; the distance between dots is elapsed time. The darker dot marks the incident.

Case background and investigation

Paul Bernardo and his wife Karla Homolka kidnapped, raped, and murdered at least two teenage girls in southern Ontario between 1991 and 1992. Their victims were Leslie Mahaffy (14) and Kristen French (15).

The couple also drugged and sexually assaulted Karla's younger sister Tammy Homolka in December 1990; Tammy died from the effects of the drugs administered to sedate her.

Bernardo had also been the 'Scarborough Rapist,' committing at least 13 sexual assaults before the murders. He videotaped the torture and murder of the victims.

Homolka received a controversial plea deal—12 years for manslaughter in exchange for testimony against Bernardo—before the videotapes revealing her active participation were discovered. Bernardo was sentenced to life with no parole for 25 years. Homolka was released in 2005.

serial murder1990s

Timeline

June 15, 1991

Leslie Mahaffy kidnapped and murdered.
April 16, 1992

Kristen French kidnapped and murdered.
September 1, 1995

Bernardo convicted; sentenced to life.

Sources

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About this entry

This case is recorded as conviction and is kept in the index for its historical and investigative significance. At least one person was convicted in connection with the case.

To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.

Entry last updated September 29, 2026.

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