Board cites Bernardo’s ‘minimization’ of behaviour in denying parole

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Paul Bernardo continues to minimize his monstrous behaviour and can’t be paroled yet, say the Parole Board of Canada in a newly released decision.

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The board denied the notorious killer parole for a third time late last month. It explained its decision in a written ruling released on Wednesday.

After a full afternoon of questioning and emotional delivery of several impact statements from family members of his victims, the parole board refused Bernardo any form of release in a hearing late last month. That included full parole, day parole and unsupervised temporary absences.

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The board’s reasons were released on Dec. 4.

What is Bernardo’s criminal history?

Bernardo was arrested in mid-February 1993 and convicted of first-degree murder in September of 1995 in the deaths of 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy of Burlington, Ont. and 15-year-old Kristen French of St. Catharine’s, Ont. He was given life sentences of at least 25 years without parole for each. He was also convicted of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, and committing indignity to a dead body.

His third victim was his young sister-in-law, 15-year-old Tammy Homolka, who was drugged, raped, and killed by Bernardo and his then-wife Karla Homolka on Christmas Eve 1990. Bernardo was convicted of manslaughter in Tammy’s death.

On top of the concurrent life sentences for the Mahaffy and French murders, he was declared “a dangerous offender.” His dangerous offender status came with an indeterminate sentence on top of his other life sentences. Hence, his continued incarceration.

He also received a psychiatric assessment determining him to be a psychopath as well as a severe sexual sadist with narcissistic personality disorder.

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“In the most recent psychological risk assessment (September 2024), based on interviews with you,” the parole board wrote in its decision, “a review of file information, and the application of actuarial assessment tools, the psychologist assesses…a moderate-low risk for general violent recidivism, which is higher in a spousal context. The risk of sexual recidivism was assessed as being above average…The psychologist noted that all of this calls for caution.”

The board noted that Bernardo came to the attention of police in connection with several sexual assaults to which he later confessed. He, himself, estimated sexually assaulting around 20 victims. “You were arrested in February 1993 and charged at first with the Scarborough rape offences. You have remained incarcerated ever since.”

What did the Parole Board say about Bernardo’s family history?

“(Y)ou described your treatment by your parents as far worse than what had been previously described in your file and what you had previously shared with the Board. You say you were ‘punished, degraded, tortured, humiliated, ridiculed, crushed, rejected, abandoned, and discarded’ by them. At the hearing, you said your mother had been sexually abused by numerous men but that she did not want this information to become public. She and your father both died in 2022, hence your late sharing of the extent of her victimization and the extent of the abuse you suffered from both parents. You associated with ‘extroverted and macho peers, who prioritized maintaining their public image by using money and sexual conquests’.”

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“As reflected by the psychiatrist who completed the Dangerous Offender application (November 1995), you adopted a predatory pattern which, in his professional opinion, is a manifestation of sexual sadism. (That) diagnosis has also been found in…clinical assessments, including…2022 and 2024.”

What has happened to Bernardo during his incarceration?

“(Y)ou have been under federal custody since November 1995. You remained in a maximum-security institution for approximately 28 years, of which 17 were spent in segregation because of your high-profile status and a constant threat to your safety from other inmates…In November 2022, you applied for a transfer to a medium-security institution in the region. It was granted. You were…transferred in May 2023.”

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“At the hearing, you mentioned that you had to learn to deal with openness in your physical environment, something you did not deal with for 30 years as you were in a ‘dungeon,’ to use your words.”

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“(A) September 2024 assessment comes to the following…diagnostic impressions…‘abusive alcohol use (in prolonged remission in a controlled environment)…issues of voyeurism and sexual sadism at the forefront (with no signs of acting out since he has been in a controlled environment), and a personality disorder marked by narcissistic vulnerabilities and certain antisocial traits’.”

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“(I)n your opinion, you began…work on yourself by resolving your self-esteem issues…You claim that sexual sadism can change in as little as a year, and that you did the work. You say you are not engaged in sexuality, that you do not want to find women attractive as it would reportedly be objectifying to them. You say you have not practiced masturbation in years and that your libido is low, partly due to your age.”

What requests for release into the community did Bernardo make?

Bernardo identified two community-based residential facilities to the Parole Board, where he wanted to be housed while on day parole. He also suggested day parole from a minimum-security institution.

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“At first, you will search for a low-skill, manual labour job, but you also wish to engage in academic upgrading and job training. You have no debts and around $2,000 in savings. You would like to transition from a (facility) to residency in the same area.”

At the hearing, Bernardo conceded he didn’t have a plan for full parole and acknowledged the need for gradual reintegration. Short of day parole, Bernardo’s case management officer did not recommend unsupervised temporary absences be granted. By reoffending, the officer said, Bernardo presents “an undue risk to society…”

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What did the Parole Board say about victim impact?

“Aggravating your risk is the nature of your criminal behaviour. It has been violent, brutal, serial, predatory, and lethal, escalating in severity over the course of several years. You victimized multiple women, their families, and the community at large. You videotaped some of your brutality with victims, demonstrating a deep lack of concern for them and harming their families even further. Your actions demonstrated no regard for the victims, their well-being, or their significant pain, terror, and distress. Your explanation at the hearing that you drugged the last two victims because you did not want them to suffer, after all the suffering you had already caused them, demonstrates to the Board a significant compartmentalization and certain minimization of your behaviour.”

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The board has also noted the victim impact statements on file and those read out during the recent hearing “demonstrating continued deep, serious, and persistent harm caused by your actions.”

What’s next for Bernardo?

The board concluded by saying that Bernardo has “opportunities to invest more deeply in an exploration of (his) understanding of (his) criminal behaviour and of the challenges that await (him) in the community, which (he appears) to minimize.”

He can apply for a review again in 2026.

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