"Leslie Van Houten: A Friendship" by John Waters

Last weekend, I watched an indie film loosely based on the sensational courtroom escapades of the Manson Family, entitled: Leslie, My Name is Evil. Although it received mostly horrible reviews in mainstream media, I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable parody of the pop culture sensibilities of it's depicted era; a wildly confusing time when free love seemed to collide head-on with ferocity and fear-mongering. 

For some time, I have been unsure about how to approach the Manson Girls for the purposes of this blog. If nothing else, this movie (far more arthouse than accurate) has provided me with a convenient segue into one of the darkest corners of American culture.

This morning, I came upon a somewhat surprising critique of Leslie. Legendary film-maker John Waters - also known as the Pope of Trash - decried the film's release. Speaking on behalf of both himself and his friend, ex-Manson Family member and convicted murderer Leslie Van Houten, Waters said: 

"Both myself and Leslie were horrified this movie was made, and I will never be able to watch it no matter what the intent."

Waters went on to explain that he, too, is guilty of having contributed to Manson Mania:

"Guilty of using the Manson murders in a jokey, smart-ass way in my earlier films without the slightest feeling for the victims' families or the lives of the brainwashed Manson killer kids who were also victims in this sad and terrible case."

Victims, indeed. While I understand the plight of reformed offenders (really, I do) as I watch them grow old behind bars, such is the unfortunate price of foraying into the realm of ultra-violence. Would any of the ex-Manson Family members ever have come to an understanding of the word "redemption" had they not been forced to contemplate their own brutality from inside an institutional cage?

Back in 2009, Waters contributed a series to the Huffington Post about the unlikely friend he found in Van Houten. Waters has been a fierce advocate for Leslie's parole; her 19th request was denied by the parole board in July 2010. She will be eligible to apply again in 2013.

Whether or not you agree with Waters' position on Van Houten's parole entitlement, the following is a thoughtful, intelligent piece of writing from an undisputed master of the craft:

Leslie Van Houten: A Friendship (PDF)

More Information...

John Waters denounces Canadian Manson film

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Stephen Williams on "Finding Karla"

Magazine cover featuring Stephen Williams

For those who are unaware of who Stephen Williams is, or why anyone should care what he thinks about Finding Karla, he authored two books on the crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. His first book, Invisible Darkness, is considered to be the most accurate account of the husband and wife's rape and murder spree. In fact, it was argued (in court) that Williams' description of the crimes were so accurate that he was accused of having viewed the banned videotapes that Bernardo had made of the attacks on Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy. 

Williams follow-up book was more about Karla Homolka herself than it was about the crimes that she admitted to. Homolka exchanged a series of letters with Williams during her incarceration, which became the foundation for Karla: A Pact with the Devil. In those letters, she discussed everything from her frustrations with the justice system to her daily beauty routine. 

If I were to name any one person as the foremost authority on this case, it would be Stephen Williams. This is what he had to say about Paula Todd's $3 e-book, Finding Karla:

FINDING KARLA: FRAUD, FICTION OR BOTH? (Link will open in a new window)

Karla Homolka makes appearance in Deadlight game

Gaming forums are abuzz with talk of the strange "collectibles" featured in Deadlight, a survival horror platform game released on August 1, 2012. 

The story follows Canadian Mountie hero Randall Wayne as he slashes through zombies on his way from Vancouver, British Columbia to Seattle, Washington in search of his kidnapped wife and daughter. Along the way, the hero encounters a number of corpses with I.D. cards bearing the names of notorious serial killers. Among the 15 cards (which can be collected by the player) is #9: Karla L. Homolka.

It's possible that Homolka's appearance in the game is due to increased awareness about her life and crimes resulting from the recent e-book, Finding Karla, by Paula Todd. However, anyone who has managed a web site, blog, or forum featuring information about Homolka can tell you that public interest in her never really went away; it simply went underground, just as she did.

If anybody has a screen grab of Homolka's I.D. in Deadlight, I would love to post it here.

Outside Links

Ex-convicted killer Karla Homolka starring in Deadlight?

giantbomb.com

Deadlight serial killer IDs

xbox360achievements.org

BabyCenter users weigh in on Homolka

News clipping prior to Homolka's release from prison in 2005

Those who have been following the movements of convicted serial killer Karla Homolka know that she has been avid user of a number of Internet parenting forums. One of her favourite hangouts was the popular online community, BabyCenter. Although Homolka, who posted there under the name love.you.forever, had been "outed" on the site a number of times, many of the posts and threads related to her ongoing presence there were locked or deleted by forum administrators who were presumably not too keen on the decidedly dark flavour of the discussions.

Recently, I happened upon yet another discussion about the woman who served only 12 years of soft time for her participation in the rape and murder of 3 Ontario teenagers -- one of them her own sister, Tammy Lyn. This time, I had the foresight to save the discussion before community moderators made it disappear. The discussion was posted on July 22, and was "locked for review" by a moderator later that same day.

The concerned mothers of BabyCenter filled 20 comment pages with their thoughts and reactions to the shocking news that they had been posting alongside a convicted killer:

August 1, 2012: I have replaced the PDF below with a new file; this version has been edited to hide all personal avatars that included pictures of children. Although the discussion was public, I didn't feel comfortable displaying those types of photos here. I did not receive any complaints; this was simply a change that I deemed appropriate for this blog.  

BabyCenter Debate Team: Karla Homolka Being Hunted and Photographed (PDF)

Jun Lin buried in "land that he loves."

Jun Lin, the peace-loving victim of Luka Rocco Magnotta's depraved brand of online bravado, was laid to rest today in Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal. Lin's family were kind enough to open the  service to members of the public who wished to pay tribute to the young man whose brutal murder led to an international manhunt for his killer.

Lin's mother, Zhigui Du, was unable to attend the service due to her emotional state, but expressed her feelings in a statement to the media:

I have been waiting for this day to come, because my son can finally rest in peace in the land that he loves. When he left China and came to Canada to study, he wanted us to say goodbye with our smiles…. And today, I think it's time to wipe our tears and see our son go with smiles on our face.

Donations can be made to the Jun Lin Award and the Jun Lin Family Fund through Concordia University, where Lin was a student.

In memory of Jun Lin

Are women being "targeted" by law enforcement?

Statistics Canada recently reported that the number of women jailed for "serious offenses" has dramatically increased by 34% since 1991. However, criminal justice experts have rushed in to assure the public that the new numbers paint a misleading picture of female offenders.

So then, what is the cause of the spike? 

According to Shawn Bayes, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, more women are being arrested in cases of domestic violence where both partners reported abuse/injury. And why shouldn't they be? Why would a woman be considered any less responsible for violent or abusive behaviour than her male counterpart?

Bayes further argued that "most of the assaults and robberies" were committed by women who were working as prostitutes. While I understand the logic that desperate people do desperate things, I can't help but wonder if maybe these women were simply easier to apprehend because they were already known to police through their dealings in the sex trade?

Ryerson University Criminologist Tammy Landau had another suggestion: law enforcement officials are specifically targetting women. According to her:

"They're sort of targeting women at the airport for being drug mules, and things like that, so there's a lot more emphasis on enforcement against women."

I'm sorry, Tammy, but WTF??? Perhaps it's the sort of way you chose to share your explanation and things like that, but I'm not drinking the Kool Aid!

Has it ever occurred to any of the "experts" that perhaps law enforcement has taken a closer look at the evil that women do because the "weaker sex" has finally succeeded in convincing the criminal justice system that they are, indeed, capable of it? When will we, as a society, abandon the antiquated notion that when a woman commits an offence there must always be a justifiable reason?

"What do people in Guadeloupe think of Karla Homolka living there?"

Karla Homolka in Montreal
(Photo: CTV News)

I read this article a while back, but tossed it into a rarely-used bookmarks folder and didn't see it again until just now:

What do people in Guadeloupe think of Karla Homolka living there?

June 22, 2012
Reported by Mylène Colmar in Guadeloupe and Benjamin Shingler in Montreal


Residents of Guadeloupe expressed confusion, shock and anxiety as word spread Friday that notorious Canadian killer Karla Homolka has been quietly living as their neighbour.

Hours after details of Homolka’s post-prison life surfaced in a new book by journalist Paula Todd, locals were busy reading up about the past life of the ex-convict, now 42 years old and a mother of three.

As the news spread online and through friends, the reaction in Guadeloupe, a set of islands in the Caribbean with a population 400,000, was a mixture of surprise and worry.

Several people interviewed by OpenFile in one of the country’s larger towns, Abymes, said they had never heard the name before Friday, though they were concerned after learning about her past.

“I found out Karla Homolka was in Guadeloupe from a friend of mine who’s a Canadian journalist,” said Axelle Kaulanjan-Diamant, a local journalist and philosophy professor.

“She sent me a link to an article and said, ‘I think you should know about this.’”

Kaulanjan-Diamant said she still doesn’t know much about Homolka’s case but that “it seems problematic that, given her criminal past, she can be around children.”

Residents in Guadeloupe wondered whether local police were aware of Homolka’s presence and had been monitoring her activity.

"I am very surprised that she’s in Guadeloupe and I wonder why she decided to come here,” said Fabrice, 30, who asked that his last name not be used. “This is worrisome.”

Some appeared ready to let Homolka move on, suggesting that even the woman who was involved in the torture and murder of three teenagers – including her own sister – deserves a second chance.

"This woman has already served her sentence,” said Clémence, 66, a retired member of the civil service.

“She has rebuilt her life, she has young children. I think of them – they did nothing wrong – and I wonder if we should just leave her alone. If she’s not bothering anyone anymore, not doing anything wrong, I don’t see why we need to go into all of this again.”

The book, “Finding Karla,” confirms earlier reports that Homolka married her lawyer’s brother, had a child and moved to the French Caribbean to avoid the public eye. It does not reveal exactly where in Guadeloupe Homolka is now living.

Following up on a number of online rumours, Todd tracked her down in a small apartment, living a quiet life in a small village under the name Leanne Bordelais with her spouse, Thierry Bordelais, and her children.

Nearly twenty years ago, Homolka and then-husband Paul Bernardo made headlines around the world for the sex killings of Ontario schoolgirls Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, and the drug induced death of Homolka’s sister Tammy.

In what was termed a “deal with the devil,” Homolka struck a bargain with prosecutors to help them convict Bernardo, who was also found guilty of rapes he committed in Scarborough.

Homolka was given a 12-year sentence, while Bernardo was sentenced to life in prison.

After her release in 2005, Homolka moved to Quebec, where she attempted to live a quiet life away from the spotlight. She granted a single interview to Radio-Canada in the hopes of putting the issue to rest.

“It was a very difficult decision to take because I am a very private person and I don't like to talk about my feelings,” she said at the time. “I want to keep things to myself but it is not possible.”

In Guadeloupe, Todd spoke to Homolka for an hour inside her apartment. What she found was a woman trying to leave her past behind, whom she describes as a “housewife trapped with her kids in a cage that she built herself.”

“If this were anyone else, I’d say she was lonely and slightly bored,” Todd writes.