Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka

Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, a married couple in Ontario, Canada, were responsible for the rape and murder of at least three young women between 1990 and 1992, including Homolka's own younger sister, Tammy, who died during an assault the couple later described as accidental.

A controversial plea deal

Before the full extent of her involvement was known, prosecutors offered Homolka a plea deal of 12 years in exchange for her testimony against Bernardo. Videotapes discovered afterward showed Homolka actively participating in the assaults, leading to public outrage that the deal, sometimes called a "deal with the devil," had been made before that evidence surfaced.

Trial and sentences

Bernardo was convicted in 1995 of murder and related charges and declared a "dangerous offender," a designation under Canadian law allowing for indefinite imprisonment. Homolka served her agreed 12-year sentence and was released in 2005.

Current status

Bernardo remains imprisoned in Canada; requests for parole have been repeatedly denied. Homolka has since changed her name and lives in Quebec.