Convicted Child Killer Volunteered At Christian Elementary School

David Lohr
Updated

A Canadian elementary school reportedly allowed one of the country’s most notorious criminals to interact with young students.

Parents at the school told Canada’s CityNews earlier this week that Karla Homolka, who served time for her role in the rape and murder of two young schoolgirls, has been volunteering at a private, Seventh-day Adventist elementary school.

The Canadian Press reported that Homolka “occasionally volunteered at the school, including supervising a field trip and bringing her dog into the classroom to interact with children.”

Karla Homolka as she appeared after her arrest. (Photo: Peter Power via Getty Images)
Karla Homolka as she appeared after her arrest. (Photo: Peter Power via Getty Images)

Homolka is the ex-wife of convicted serial killer Paul Bernardo. The pair was arrested in the 1990s, in connection with the rape and murder of several young women. Homolka ultimately entered into a plea deal with prosecutors, in which she pleaded guilty to manslaughter in two of the cases in exchange for a 12-year prison sentence. Bernardo was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the crimes.

Following her 2005 prison release, Homolka remarried and gave birth to three children. Her kids have reportedly been enrolled in the Montreal school since September.

Parents at the school said they only recently found out about Homolka – who now goes by the name Leanne Bordelais – when an unidentified man passed out leaflets with her photo and information on her crimes.

Andy Maraj, whose daughter attends the 3rd grade with one of Homolka’s children, told The Montreal Gazette he initially thought it was a hoax.

“But then I saw her and I saw her walking around with her dog for the children to play with,” said Maraj. “I told my daughter, ‘This lady, I don’t want you to go near her please. If she calls you, don’t go near her and call me,’ because I don’t trust the school.”

Karla Homolka's ex-husband, Paul Bernardo, after his arrest. (Photo: Jim Rankin via Getty Images)
Karla Homolka's ex-husband, Paul Bernardo, after his arrest. (Photo: Jim Rankin via Getty Images)

Maraj and another parent told The Montreal Gazette that when they expressed concerns about Homolka, school officials told them they’d have to enroll their children in another school.

When news of Homolka’s activities broke earlier this week, the Seventh-day Adventist Church sent a statement to The Canadian Press, acknowledging school officials have been “fully aware of who she is.”

“She is not a regular volunteer, and can never be alone with any children, either in school or churches,” the statement read.

The statement, which did not indicate Homolka would be barred from volunteering, angered parents.

“We don’t want her here,” one parent told CityNews. “How would you feel knowing that your child is interacting with a person who is a serial killer? It’s not right.”

School officials have since issued a second statement, saying they will no longer allow anyone with a criminal record to volunteer.

We “heard and listened to the concerns of parents and members of the community,” the statement read.

Still, Tim Danson, a lawyer who represents the families of Homolka’s victims, told The Canadian Press it was a “kick in the gut” for the victim’s families to hear Homolka has been able to live a seemingly normal life.

“These are joys the [victim’s families] will never enjoy because of Karla Homolka’s participation with Paul Bernardo to murder their children,” Danson said.

David Lohr covers crime and missing persons. Tips? Feedback? Send an email or follow him on Twitter.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Also on HuffPost

Jeffrey Dahmer

Notorious cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer sits with his defense team during his 1991 trial. Dahmer went on a killing spree in the 1980s during which he murdered 17 men and boys. He often had sex with the corpses before dismembering them and, in some cases, ate pieces of human flesh. After his conviction, Dahmer was killed by a fellow inmate in prison.
Notorious cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer sits with his defense team during his 1991 trial. Dahmer went on a killing spree in the 1980s during which he murdered 17 men and boys. He often had sex with the corpses before dismembering them and, in some cases, ate pieces of human flesh. After his conviction, Dahmer was killed by a fellow inmate in prison.

John Wayne Gacy

John Wayne Gacy was arrested in 1978 after murdering 33 men and boys. He was known as the "Killer Clown" for his work as a children's entertainer. When Gacy became the suspect in a young man's disappearance, he invited police to his home for coffee. Cops noticed a smell that could emanate from a decaying body. They returned with a search warrant and found 29 victims stuffed into crawlspaces.

David Berkowitz

David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam" killer, terrorized New York with six murders and several other shootings that ended with his 1977. When police arrested him, Berkowitz, a mailman, said his neighbor's dog commanded him to strike. He's in Sing Sing prison In New York serving life, though he's eligible for parole.
David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam" killer, terrorized New York with six murders and several other shootings that ended with his 1977. When police arrested him, Berkowitz, a mailman, said his neighbor's dog commanded him to strike. He's in Sing Sing prison In New York serving life, though he's eligible for parole.

Angelo Buono

Angelo Buono, a 47 year old auto upholsterer, sits in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday March 2, 1982 as he listens to opening arguments in the so called "Hillside Stranglings" case in which Buono is accused of killing 10 women and girls in the Los Angeles area between 1977 and 1978.
Angelo Buono, a 47 year old auto upholsterer, sits in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday March 2, 1982 as he listens to opening arguments in the so called "Hillside Stranglings" case in which Buono is accused of killing 10 women and girls in the Los Angeles area between 1977 and 1978.

Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy at one time in the 1970s had a bright future in the Washington State Republican Party, but instead became one of the most famous serial killers and necrophiliacs. He often deceived his victims, all women, into thinking that he was injured and in need of help before attacking them. In 1976 he was arrested for an attempted kidnapping, but while acting as his own lawyer, he escaped. He migrated to Tallahassee where he killed two women in a Florida State University sorority house. He was convicted of those murders and while on death row in 1989 he confessed to 50 other murders. <em><strong>Correction</strong>: A previous version of this slide misstated the location of the Florida State murders as Pensacola, Fla.</em>

Aileen Wuornos

Aileen Wuornos admitted to killing six men while she worked as a prostitute in Florida in 1989 and 1990. She initially claimed that she acted in self defense against johns who raped her or tried to rape her. But later she admitted that she robbed and killed in cold blood and would do it again if she were free. She was executed in 2002.
Aileen Wuornos admitted to killing six men while she worked as a prostitute in Florida in 1989 and 1990. She initially claimed that she acted in self defense against johns who raped her or tried to rape her. But later she admitted that she robbed and killed in cold blood and would do it again if she were free. She was executed in 2002.

Anthony Sowell

Anthony Sowell was convicted and sentenced to death in 2011 for killing 11 women and keeping their remains in his Cleveland home.
Anthony Sowell was convicted and sentenced to death in 2011 for killing 11 women and keeping their remains in his Cleveland home.

Richard Ramirez

In this file photo taken Oct. 24, 1985, "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez displays a pentagram symbol on his hand inside a Los Angeles courtroom. The California Supreme Court Monday< Aug. 7, 2006, upheld the convictions and death sentence for serial killer Richard Ramirez, the so-called "Night Stalker" whose killing spree terrorized the Los Angeles area in the mid 1980s. Ramirez, now 46, was sentenced to death in 1989 for 13 Los Angeles-area murders committed in 1984 and 1985. Satanic symbols were left at some murder scenes and some victims were forced to "swear to Satan" by the killer, who broke into homes through unlocked windows and doors. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)

Andrew Cunanan

Andrew Cunanan is seen in this 1997 mugshot from the FBI. Cunanan murdered five men from Minneapolis to Miami, including fashion designer Gianni Versace. As investigators closed in on him, Cunanan committed suicide in 1997.
Andrew Cunanan is seen in this 1997 mugshot from the FBI. Cunanan murdered five men from Minneapolis to Miami, including fashion designer Gianni Versace. As investigators closed in on him, Cunanan committed suicide in 1997.

Ed Gein

Edward Gein, 51, of Plainfield, Wisc. enters Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane Nov. 23,1957, in Milwaukee. Gein admitted to slaying two women and dismembering their bodies as well as robbing graves. Gein flayed the bodies and used human skin and other body parts to decorate furniture and clothing in his decrepit farmhouse. His twisted tale was the inspiration for murders in movies like Buffalo Bill from "The Silence of the Lambs."

Gary Ridgway

Gary Ridgeway slew 48 women in the Seattle area from 1982 to 1998. He was known as the Green River Killer, because his first five victims were found near the waterway. The case was one of the longest unsolved murder mysteries in the country, not to mention one of the bloodiest. Ridgeway pleaded guilty in 2003 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Albert Fish

Albert Fish was a child rapist and cannibal who confessed to torturing hundreds of children, beginning in 1880 in New York. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1935, however, for the murder of a single girl, 10-year-old Grace Budd.&nbsp;During the trial, Fish said he heard voices in his head that told him to attack children.<br /><br /><i>CORRECTION: A previous version of this slide incorrectly stated that Budd&nbsp;was the daughter of Fish's employee.</i>

Coral Eugene Watts

Early on his life, Coral Eugene Watts was identified by psychiatrists as a dangerous and violent individual. He lived up to those warnings as the so-called Sunday Morning Slasher and confessed to killing 80 women in Michigan, Texas and Canada in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He strangled, drowned, stabbed and beat his victims. He died in 2007 in prison from prostate cancer while serving a life sentence for two of the Michigan murders.

Richard Angelo

Richard Angelo, a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in New York, killed 25 patients in a bungled plan to turn himself into a hero. Angelo injected patients with a cocktail of dangerous drugs with the plan of restoring them to life and burnishing his reputation as a life-saving medical professional. Only 12 patients survived the "Angel of Death."
Richard Angelo, a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in New York, killed 25 patients in a bungled plan to turn himself into a hero. Angelo injected patients with a cocktail of dangerous drugs with the plan of restoring them to life and burnishing his reputation as a life-saving medical professional. Only 12 patients survived the "Angel of Death."

Joseph Naso

This is an undated booking photo released by the Washoe County Sheriff's office showing Joseph Naso. Authorities in California and Nevada plan to release more information about Naso, the 77-year-old man accused in four homicides spanning two decades. Naso, of Reno, Nev., was booked late Monday, April 11, 2011, on suspicion of the killings in 1977, 1978, 1993 and 1994.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.