Canadian Officials Fear Convicted Murderer

By Associated Press, Various newspapers around the World and in particular the U.S.A., June 2, 2005

JOLIETTE, Quebec -- Canadian authorities fear a convicted murderer may commit new crimes when she is released from prison, and authorities were seeking a court order requiring her to submit a DNA sample for a criminal database, officials said.

Karla Homolka pleaded guilty in 1993 to the sex slayings of two southern Ontario teenagers, Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French. She has served her 12-year manslaughter sentence and is set for release from a Quebec prison July 5, though she could be freed as early as June 23.

Her lawyer, Sylvie Bordelais, said Homolka would make her first public appearance Thursday since her conviction at the Quebec Superior Court in Joliette, about 50 miles north of Montreal.

Homolka became a symbol of evil to many Canadians when the horrific crimes she perpetrated with her ex-husband, Paul Bernardo, became public at his first-degree murder trial a decade ago.

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 in 1990 after choking on her own vomit after she was drugged and raped by the couple.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday that people were justifiably afraid of Homolka and would press authorities to impose as many restrictions as possible after her release from prison.

People are very concerned about what she might do again, and we have a responsibility to protect the public interest," McGuinty said. "This is something that has profoundly affected the psyche of Ontarians."

The Montreal Gazette reported earlier this week that Homolka now has a new look, having dyed her hair black and cut it to shoulder length.

Her father, Karel Homolka, told CP24 news channel that he won't be at the hearing and was not ready to have a relationship with his daughter. But he said there should be no restrictions on his daughter once she's out of jail.

"This is Canada, not Russia, right?" he said from his home in St. Catharines in southern Ontario. When asked if his daughter had done her time, he responded: "She sure has, and then some."

The Ontario government will use a section of the criminal code, which applies to individuals who may commit another offense or be a danger to the public, to argue that her movements should be restricted once she's 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 Ontario officials fear she might commit new crimes.

"We are seeking a recognizance order, and will be making submissions to try and meet the test, which is that there's a reasonable likelihood that the person will commit another offense," he said.