Karla Homolka living in town southwest of Montreal: reports

CHATEAUGUAY, Que. – Reports that convicted killer Karla Homolka has resurfaced southwest of Montreal are creating a buzz in the town of Chateauguay.

Homolka is living in the community and some of her three children are attending a local school, City News and Global both said Tuesday.

Neither the school board nor local police confirmed the reports, citing privacy laws, although the principal at Centennial Park Elementary School sent home a letter reassuring parents their children are safe.

Joanne Daviau said in the letter she couldn’t comment further due to privacy laws, adding all children have an obligation to be in school and a right to privacy.

But she assures that adults volunteering are subject to a criminal background check.

“It has been confirmed that several parents in our community were approached by a reporter going door to door this past Sunday and asking if people knew that ‘Karla Homolka’ was living in the area,” Daviau wrote.

“Schoolboard officials have brought this information to the Chateauguay police who are taking this very seriously and collaborating with us.”

The fact Homolka had moved back to Quebec with her husband, Thierry Bordelais, was confirmed in October 2014 by her younger sister Logan Valentini during testimony at Luka Rocco Magnotta’s high-profile murder trial.

Valentini, who changed her name from Lori Homolka in 1996, said at the time Homolka had been living in Quebec with her spouse, the brother of a Quebec lawyer who’d represented her, Sylvie Bordelais.

In the early 1990s, Homolka and her then-husband, Paul Bernardo, were convicted of crimes related to the rape and murder of two schoolgirls, Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy.

Bernardo was declared a dangerous offender and sentenced to life in prison while Homolka struck a deal with prosecutors in 1993 to serve 12 years in prison for manslaughter.

She had earlier told investigators that Bernardo abused her and made her a reluctant accomplice to the killings although it was later discovered through videotape evidence she had a far more active role than she led on.

She served the entirety of that sentence and was released in 2005. She has changed her name a number of time since her release.

After sightings in and around Montreal following her release, Homolka disappeared before surfacing in Guadeloupe.

She was tracked down in the Caribbean in 2012 by journalist Paula Todd, who published the details in an e-book.

Daviau’s letter to parents was released by the New Frontiers School Board on Tuesday, after the news spread though social media.

“I can assure you that when your children are at Centennial Park School, they are safe,” she wrote.

Chateauguay police also released a statement saying it was aware of online rumours of a person of “some media interest” living on its territory.

But Const. Nathalie Langevin said police cannot confirm anything, adding the force’s mission is to promote peace, order and quality of life.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version wrongly said Homolka’s sister Logan Valentini was an older sibling.