1) THE BARBIE AND KEN KILLERS
Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo, Canada’s “Barbie and Ken Killers” are an interesting comparison of sexual offending between co-conspirators. Although the two offended together in the rape and murder of three female victims, including Karla’s 16-year-old sister, Paul was offending on his own, raping a number of other female victims without Karla’s involvement. Conduct your own research and then answer the following questions…
- Did Homolka deserve the sentence she received? Why or why not?
- What do you think of the disparity in sentencing between Homolka and Bernardo? Did gender have anything to do with it?
- Had the case occurred in the US, do you think the outcome would have been any different? Why or why not?
Assignment Outcomes
- First, briefly summarize the victimization and how it led to the offense. Facts only; this should only take up about a page of the paper.
- What was the sentence imposed (note – the case must have already reached disposition – a pending case or one in which the defendant was not convicted would not be appropriate.) This section should not exceed a paragraph.
- Assessment – this is the main focus of the paper, so the bulk of your paper should assess and analyze the sentence. Do you feel the sentence imposed was appropriate? Too harsh? Too lenient? If you feel the sentence was too harsh, you need to provide 3 mitigating circumstances ~ reasons why the court should have considered a lesser punishment. If you feel the sentence was too lenient, you need to provide 3 aggravating circumstances ~ reasons why the court should have considered a more severe punishment.
- If you feel the sentence imposed was appropriate, provide 3 reasons why you support the decision.
- Student uses 3 sources; published within last 10 years; fact-based/ academic in nature.
- Must have in-text citations that match references
