By PHIL COUVRETTE, Associated Press Writer
Thu Jun 2, 5:37 PM ET
JOLIETTE, Quebec - Notorious child killer Karla Homolka covered her face and appeared to be crying when her crimes were reviewed Thursday by authorities hoping to restrict her movement after her impending release from prison.
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It was her first public appearance since her sentencing in 1993 after she pleaded guilty in the sex slayings of two southern Ontario teenagers Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French.
Homolka, 35, has served her 12-year manslaughter sentence and is set for release from a Quebec prison July 5, though federal guidelines may allow her release as early as June 23.
Wearing a salmon-colored suit, Homolka was escorted in handcuffs into the courtroom at Quebec Superior Court in Joliette, about 50 miles north of Montreal.
She became a symbol of evil to many Canadians when the horrific crimes she perpetrated with her ex-husband Paul Bernardo were revealed at his first-degree murder trial.
In what has been dubbed a "deal with the devil," Homolka got a reduced sentence by testifying against Bernardo. As part of the plea agreement, she was not charged in the death of her younger sister, 15-year-old Tammy Homolka, who died on Christmas Eve 1990 from choking on her own vomit after she was drugged and raped by the couple.
Judge Jean Beaulieu turned down a motion to adjourn by Homolka's defense attorney, Sylvie Bordelais, who argued the prosecution would be reneging on their original deal with Homolka by seeking limitations on her freedom.
Brian Noble, an officer with the Niagara Regional Police Service, reviewed the details of the kidnappings, rapes, murders and disposal of the bodies. He reminded the judge that the National Parole Board only last year determined Homolka was still likely to commit another violent crime.
Homolka, a model student and the oldest of three beautiful sisters raised in a middle-class suburb, was a veterinarian's assistant when she met Bernardo.
Prosecutors at Bernardo's trial said she was a battered wife under the spell of the charming Toronto accountant, whose final beating landed her in the hospital and caused her to file for divorce and go to police.
Bernardo, eventually convicted of raping 13 Ontario women or girls, committed many of the assaults during the first three years of his relationship with Homolka. Psychiatrists and criminal profilers told prosecutors Bernardo was a control freak and a heavy drinker who slowly lured Homolka into their partnership as sexual predators.
He came from an affluent home, prosecutors said, but apparently was furious to learn as a teenager that he was illegitimate, the product of an affair between his mother and another man. He is now serving a life sentence at an Ontario prison.
Homolka, who has legally changed her name to Karla Leanne Teale, is to be released from the Joliette Institution, about 60 miles northeast of Montreal. Her parents have said she hopes to find an apartment and a job in Montreal, having learned French during her prison stay.
As Noble went over the details of the murder of her sister, Homolka dabbed tissues to her eyes and appeared to be crying. She has been accused by the families of her victims and former inmates of showing no remorse.
Tim Danson, the lawyer representing the Mahaffy and French families, said he would be asking the judge to block Homolka from visiting parks, playgrounds or other areas typically filled with children.
"My clients, more than anyone, appreciate how dangerous Karla Homolka is," Danson told CBC TV outside the courthouse. "Karla Homolka got away with murder. They recognize she represents a serious threat to the public and they want to do what they can to protect the lives of other Canadians."
The Ontario government will use Section 810 of the Criminal Code, which only applies to individuals who may commit another offense or be a danger to the public, in arguing that her movements should be restricted once she is out of prison. They also will seek a court order requiring Homolka to submit a DNA sample for a criminal database, Michael Bryant, the province's attorney general, said Monday.
Bryant said he met recently with two of the couple's other rape victims to get their input into what restrictions they would like to see imposed.
Bryant would not say if the province would â?? or could â?? consider bringing new charges against Homolka in connection with one of the victims, known as Jane Doe, who told the Toronto Sun this week that she wanted Homolka to face trial for drugging, raping and almost killing her.
Wow, she raped, sodomized, and helped murder her own flesh and blood and we give her a plea bargin and let her out of prison................ Like I said people.... some of the things that the world does......
