Paul Bernardo

Paul Bernardo is a Canadian serial rapist and serial killer born in 1964 in Scarborough, Ontario.

Paul Bernardo is a Canadian serial rapist and serial killer born in 1964 in Scarborough, Ontario. He was convicted in the 1990s for sexual assaults, kidnapping, and the murders of teenagers Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, and is serving a life sentence as a dangerous offender. Bernardo is one of Canada’s most notorious criminal offenders, and his case has had major public and legal significance in Ontario and across the country.

Early crimes

Bernardo became known as the Scarborough Rapist after a series of sexual assaults in Scarborough, Ontario, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He committed a series of rapes in Scarborough between 1986 and 1990.

Crimes with Karla Homolka

After meeting Karla Homolka, Bernardo took part in crimes that led to the deaths of Tammy Homolka, Leslie Mahaffy, and Kristen French. These included the assaults and killings linked to the three victims.

Arrest and trial

He was arrested on February 17, 1993, after DNA evidence linked him to serial rapes in Toronto. He was convicted in 1995 of first-degree murder, aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, and related offences, and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for at least 25 years.

Imprisonment

Bernardo remains incarcerated and has been denied parole multiple times. He was declared a dangerous offender, making release unlikely. In 2023, he was transferred from a maximum-security prison to La Macaza Institution, a medium-security prison in Quebec.