5 chilling details about killer couple Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka

Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka are infamously called the Ken and Barbie Killers, after being convicted of a criminal spree in Ontario, Canada from 1990 to 1993. The couple was involved in the r*pe and murder of several women in Ontario, Canada during that time.

They were dubbed the Ken and Barbie Killers owing to their good looks and wealthy backgrounds. The Investigation Discovery series Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes takes a close look into how Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka were eventually arrested and convicted.

The series is divided into four parts, which will all re-air on ID this Friday, May 10, 2024, from 8 pm ET. Here is a look at some of the most chilling details about the killer couple ahead of the re-air of Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes.

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5 Most chilling details about the Ken and Barbie Killers, Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka

1) Paul Bernardo had already committed several s*xual assaults before he met Karla Homolka

A still of Paul Bernardo (Image via Discovery Plus)

Paul had a history of abusive conduct against women since his teenage years. He had already established himself as a serial r*pist before he met Karla in 1987. Between 1987 and 1990, he committed a series of s*xual assaults and murders in Scarborough, Ontario. He is also known as the Scarborough R*pist due to his crimes at the time.

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2) Paul Bernardo was extremely controlling about every aspect of Karla's life

A marriage picture of the killer couple (Image via ID)

Bernardo had deviant s*xual tendencies, which repulsed his girlfriends and they also claimed that he was abusive and controlling toward them. Paul met Karla at a convention in Ontario and they were immediately attracted to each other.

Karla later claimed that Paul was extremely controlling of every aspect of her life. He reportedly coerced her into dressing, behaving, and talking in a certain way. However, she was accepting of his abuse of her and maintained a self-improvement list to mold herself according to his wishes.

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3) Karla assisted Paul in s*xually assaulting her younger sister

Paul Bernardo was unhappy with Karla since she was not a virgin when they married each other. He was attracted to Karla's 15-year-old sister, Tammy. The couple planned and drugged Tammy during dinner and proceeded to r*pe her. However, Tammy died after choking on her vomit. The couple videotaped the heinous assault as her virginity was a gift to Paul from Karla.

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4) They videotaped other s*xual assaults too

A picture of the couple (Image via Discovery Plus)

After the incident with Tammy, Karla became a regular accomplice for Paul's s*xual assaults. Two of the known assaults and murders include that of 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy and 15-year-old Kristen French.

The couple videotaped torturing, sodomizing, and r*ping both these girls and eventually murdered them. Karla Homolka revealed later that Paul had s*xually assaulted numerous other schoolgirls with her help.

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5) Karla testified against Paul in a controversial plea deal

Paul was eventually arrested in 1993 after Karla reported him to the police for severely beating her up. DNA testing from an earlier arrest confirmed him as the Scarborough R*pist, which was later confirmed by Karla too.

Paul Bernardo was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. Karla received a reduced sentence of 12 years after she entered a plea bargain in exchange for testifying against him.

When the horrifying videotapes surfaced in court during Bernardo's trial, Homolka's plea agreement was heavily vilified in Canadian culture. Some prosecutors stated that if they had known what was on the tapes, they would not have offered her the deal for a reduced sentence.

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Catch more details about the arrest and trial of Paul and Karla when Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes re-airs on ID on May 10, 2024.