As an experienced forensic psychologist who has come into contact with hundreds of inmates and read evaluations of thousands more, I can count the others I’ve seen that are the likes of H.H. Holmes on one hand. As much as he was terrible, he was unique in that he was psychopathic, extremely intelligent, charismatic enough to fool most others, creative (various M.O.s), and prolific. This is rarely, if ever, seen in real life. My only conclusion is that people like Holmes are either exceedingly rare, or simply never get caught.

Bernardo and Homolka were made for each other. In fact, looking at photos of them, one might be tempted to call them “Ken and Barbie.” In their wedding photos, Karla Homolka’s perfect blond hair and almost lazy-happy eyes speak to the fact that she’s truly found her soulmate. Paul Bernardo looks almost as ebullient, holding her close and grinning in the back of a limo… all of this knowing that shortly before their nuptials, the couple had raped and murdered Karla’s little sister, and videotaped the entire thing.