By   Marilyn Bardsley  

February 9, 2007

(Crime Library) —This week has been one where women dominated the news: the bizarre case of Lisa Marie Nowak, the accomplished shuttle astronaut who allegedly tried to kill her rival; the end to Anna Nicole Smith's sad life, and now the news that chilling serial killer Karla Homolka is a mother and plans to get married. Under normal circumstances, I would find a week dominated by news generated about women a refreshing change to the male-oriented government, war and economic news, but this news is depressing. Women as victims, women as criminals, women as accomplished celebrities gone mad.

Karla Homolka

Canadian media is reporting that the notorious Karla Homoka, now known as Leanne Teale, had a 7-pound baby boy last week. According to Alan Cairns, who has written extensively on the notorious killer, Karla and the baby's father are living on Montreal's south shore and are planning a West Indies wedding as soon as they secure the baby's passport. There is some speculation that they may leave Canada permanently.

Interestingly, Karla's mother and sister as well as her lawyer, Sylvie Bordelais, who Cairns reports may have introduced her to the father of the child, deny that Karla had a child. When Karla was released from prison in 2005, there were claims that Karla cooked meals for her then-boyfriend Jean-Paul Gerbert, a convicted murderer who is in prison for the 1998 murder of his girlfriend Cathy Carretta. Hopefully, this new fiancé, whose name has not been released, is a vast improvement from the standpoint of character, reputation and genetics than Gerbert. If only to dilute what Karla has contributed to this child.

Karla Homolka in prison

Some say that psychopathic tendencies can lessen with age and increased maturity. Proponents of this view suggest that the most brutal crimes are committed by teenagers and young adults rather than people over thirty. While I am not aware of any studies done on how serial killers perform as mothers, there are some interesting cases that may provide some insight.

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Contact Marilyn Bardsley at marilyn.bardsley@turner.com

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