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Paul Kenneth BernardoCanadian serial killer and rapist
Date of Birth: 27.08.1964
Country:  Canada |
Content:
The Biography of Paul Bernardo
Paul Bernardo was a Canadian serial killer and rapist who shocked the whole of Canada with his cruelty and sadism. Despite his ordinary appearance and behavior, Bernardo was able to hide his monstrous tendencies behind a charming smile and a seemingly normal life. He was a sporty and attractive young man, living a typical life with a job and a beautiful wife. Nothing seemed suspicious about him and his young married life until his wife, Karla Bernardo, went to the police in January 1993.
Karla could no longer bear the nightmares that were hidden behind the pink walls of their cozy cottage with neatly trimmed green hedges. She knew that she would also be punished for her involvement in two murders, but her desire to ease her conscience was stronger. She provided the investigators with a collection of six video tapes, recorded by the couple, which captured unimaginable torture and suffering of innocent victims. With this evidence, the investigators did not have to work hard to gather physical proof, as the perpetrator had already taken care of it himself.
The trial, which began in June 1995 in Toronto, was extensively covered by Canadian media, with even the non-sensationalist agency Reuters calling it the "crime of the century." However, the recordings from the video tapes were deemed too horrifying and inhumane to be shown to the public, and only the jurors and other official participants of the trial were allowed to view them.
Paul Bernardo met his future wife, a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl named Karla Homolka, in 1987. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the fact that the handsome Paul noticed the equally attractive Karla. However, their friends started noticing some strangeness in the young couple's relationship. There was something unhealthy about the pleasure Paul derived from having complete control over the inexperienced and weak-willed Karla. Over time, Paul increasingly tied Karla to him, using threats and physical abuse. Despite the humiliations and constant insults, Karla couldn't imagine her life without him.
Their series of horrifying nightmares began after Karla moved in with her parents in the fall of 1990. At that point, Paul was already considered her fiancé. It was during this time that they committed their first murder, which was followed by many more. The victims included Karla's younger sister, Tammy Lynn. Paul expressed his desire to have sex with Tammy as a Christmas present. Karla did not object, nor did she warn her parents about the danger. Instead, she actively participated in fulfilling her beloved fiancé's plan. On Christmas night, Karla drugged Tammy with sleeping pills and chloroform, and Paul proceeded to rape her. In the process, Tammy choked to death on her own vomit while still unconscious.
This death did not deter the killers; instead, it fueled their twisted desires and convinced them of their impunity. It happened shortly before their wedding. Karla did not show any signs of shock or distress. She knew the monster that hid behind her charming and smiling husband, who was now legally her spouse and a member of her family.
The video tapes captured not only the horrifying scenes of the victims' suffering but also the celebratory moments of their wedding. The young couple, surrounded by family and friends, appeared happy and beautiful on the tapes. The contrast between the joyous occasion and the tragedy unfolding just a short distance away was chilling.
The next victim was a thirteen to fifteen-year-old girl, whose dismembered remains were found in a nearby lake during the wedding ceremony. This girl had been kidnapped by the couple just two weeks before the wedding. The recordings of her torture and abuse played in court were difficult to watch. Paul, who suffered from a pathological inferiority complex, made the terrified girl refer to him as her "king" and "master." Karla, trying to comfort the girl between the abuses, even offered her a stuffed teddy bear. These scenes were particularly disturbing against the backdrop of the child's tragic fate.
The couple's final victim was a fifteen-year-old girl named Kristen French. To lure her, they played the role of lost tourists and asked for directions. When Kristen leaned over a map to help them, Paul approached her from behind, threatening her with a knife, and forced her into their car. Kristen endured two days of torture and sexual abuse, which were also recorded on video. After satisfying their sick desires, Paul and Karla strangled her and disposed of her remains in the lake, alongside those of their previous victim.
Paul Bernardo's reign of terror finally ended when he and Karla were apprehended and brought to justice. He was convicted of multiple counts of murder and sexual assault and is currently serving a life sentence in prison.
