S2 Ep.2: Call 911

Summary

Very Scary People Season 2, Episode 2: Call 911 Release Date: October 23, 2023 Host: Donnie Wahlberg

---

Introduction

In Season 2 of Very Scary People, host Donnie Wahlberg delves deeper into the harrowing story of Christine Belford’s intense custody battle, highlighting the sinister actions of Paul Bernardo and his family. Episode 2, titled "Call 911", explores the tragic events surrounding Tammy Homolka’s sudden death and the subsequent unraveling of the seemingly perfect couple behind the Ken and Barbie Killers moniker.

---

Background of the Ken and Barbie Killers

The episode begins by revisiting the horrifying crimes of Paul Bernardo and Carla Homolka, a couple from Toronto who appeared to embody the ideal suburban family. Their story is one of deceit, obsession, and brutality, challenging the perception of outward appearances.

Donnie Wahlberg [05:10]: "If you just saw Paul Bernardo in the late 80s or met Paul Bernardo, you would just think he was a fairly handsome young man. Blond hair, blue eyes, looked pretty average. Not someone who would be stalking women, attacking women, brutally assaulting them."

---

Carla Homolka’s Background and Relationship with Paul Bernardo

Carla Homolka, raised with dreams of a fairy-tale wedding, met Paul Bernardo in 1987 under seemingly ordinary circumstances. Their relationship quickly intensified, leading to their engagement just two years later.

Donnie Wahlberg [07:50]: "When Carla met Paul Bernardo, she thought her fairytale was finally coming true."

Their relationship was characterized by frequent commutes, intense affection, and a shared desire for a conventional family life. The couple’s integration into the Homolka family was seamless, further masking their dark intentions.

---

The Tragic Night: Tammy Homolka’s Death

The pivotal moment of the episode centers around the Christmas Eve party hosted by the Homolka family. Amidst the festivities, Carla’s younger sister, Tammy, indulges in alcohol and subsequently passes out. Tragically, Tammy never wakes up.

Marc Maron [16:49]: "Tammy has a lot to drink and it's not straight booze, it's mixed drinks and things."

Paramedics arrived too late to save Tammy, who died the next day in the hospital. The initial response from Paul and Carla appeared emotionally overwhelming, but certain behaviors raised suspicions.

Kathy Kanzura [20:04]: "What was suspicious was she had like, burn marks all around her mouth. I know I'm talking to one of the officers and he said that just, it just bothered him."

Despite evidence suggesting foul play, the police initially ruled Tammy’s death as accidental, dismissing it as the result of excessive alcohol consumption.

---

Aftermath and Wedding Plans

In the wake of Tammy’s death, instead of mourning, Carla and Paul shifted their focus back to their wedding plans. This decision caused friction within the Homolka family, especially as they were still grieving Tammy’s loss.

Donnie Wahlberg [23:18]: "Carla had wrote to a friend that was basically complaining that some of the money that was being put aside for her wedding was no longer there because it was used for the funeral."

The couple’s insistence on proceeding with an extravagant wedding, despite the tragedy, highlighted their disturbing detachment from genuine grief and raised further questions about their true nature.

---

Public Perception and Growing Suspicion

As Carla and Paul moved forward with their lives, maintaining the facade of a perfect couple became increasingly difficult. Observers and family members began to notice inconsistencies and odd behaviors, hinting at a darker reality beneath the surface.

Megan Sachs [27:34]: "You could tell that she had issues, but her friends at the time just didn't quite see it. Although they knew something was wrong, but they just couldn't put their finger on, you know, what exactly it was."

Criminology experts and friends recognized the importance the couple placed on maintaining their image, further obscuring the truth of their heinous actions.

---

Conclusion

Episode 2 of Very Scary People meticulously unpacks the complexities of Paul Bernardo and Carla Homolka’s relationship, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Tammy Homolka’s death, and the chilling realization that evil can often lurk behind the most benign exteriors. Through exclusive interviews and compelling narrative, Donnie Wahlberg paints a vivid picture of how the facade of perfection can mask unspeakable horrors.

---

Notable Quotes

• Donnie Wahlberg [05:10]: "If you just saw Paul Bernardo in the late 80s or met Paul Bernardo, you would just think he was a fairly handsome young man. Blond hair, blue eyes, looked pretty average. Not someone who would be stalking women, attacking women, brutally assaulting them."

• Donnie Wahlberg [07:50]: "When Carla met Paul Bernardo, she thought her fairytale was finally coming true."

• Marc Maron [16:49]: "Tammy has a lot to drink and it's not straight booze, it's mixed drinks and things."

• Kathy Kanzura [20:04]: "What was suspicious was she had like, burn marks all around her mouth. I know I'm talking to one of the officers and he said that just, it just bothered him."

• Donnie Wahlberg [23:18]: "Carla had wrote to a friend that was basically complaining that some of the money that was being put aside for her wedding was no longer there because it was used for the funeral."

• Megan Sachs [27:34]: "You could tell that she had issues, but her friends at the time just didn't quite see it. Although they knew something was wrong, but they just couldn't put their finger on, you know, what exactly it was."

---

Very Scary People continues to unravel the dark and twisted journey of a family’s obsession, providing listeners with an in-depth and chilling exploration of true crime that goes far beyond the headlines.

---

Transcript

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Scam Factory, the explosive new true crime podcast from Wondery, exposes a multi billion dollar criminal empire operating in plain sight. Every suspicious text you ignore masks a huge network of compounds where thousands are held captive and forced to scam others under the threat of death. Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Marc Maron]

It's Marc Maron here, host of WTF with Marc Maron on acast. When I started this podcast, I didn't have a lot of expectations, but somewhere along the line, podcasting became a serious business. And if you're serious about making money doing a podcast, there's only one place to do it.

[Narrator]

Acast.

[Marc Maron]

ACAST generates more revenue more reliably than any other platform. Join Acast, the number one podcast platform for monetization, by visiting go.acast.com.

[Narrator]

Just a heads up before we begin. This episode contains references to sexual violence and abuse. Listen with care. Previously on Very Scary People. The Ken and Barbie Killers. The picture perfect couple Paul Bernardo and Carla Homolka said I do at their lavish wedding on the shores of Lake Ontario, Canada. That same day on the neighboring Lake Gibson, the dismembered body of a missing teenage girl named Leslie Mahaffy was discovered encased in concrete. And in another district of east Toronto called Scarborough, a serial rapist was on the loose and his victim survived but never saw his face. The manhunt for the Scarborough rapists lasted three years, but they kept coming up short despite vigilant police efforts, until he slipped up and a victim got a good look at him. This was a major break in the case. From her description, the police were able to draw up a composite sketch. It's May 28, 1990, and the Toronto Metro PD's phone lines are ringing off the hook.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

It was six years after the first woman was raped in the Scarborough area that the police finally had their big break.

[Narrator]

The composite sketch of the Scarborough rapist lands on the front page of the Toronto sun that morning with the headline, have you seen this man? He's described as having a medium muscular build with no facial hair. In the sketch, his eyes are light blue and his hair is blonde and parted to the left side. He was last seen wearing a baby blue jacket, tan pleated shorts and running shoes, no socks. Calls are coming in left and right from people claiming to know the identity of the man who turned their town upside down. But there is one name that keeps coming up.

[John Rosen]

Police received hundreds of tips. Several people had called to say it was Paul Bernardo.

[Narrator]

The multiple tips pointing toward Paul Bernardo just couldn't be ignored. So on November 20, 1990, Metropolitan Toronto Police bring him in for questioning. Paul is cooperative, and he doesn't ask for legal representation.

[Kathy Kanzura]

He was very open. He was very at ease. He wasn't nervous. He did not lawyer up.

[Narrator]

He even acknowledges the similarities in the sketch.

[Kathy Kanzura]

He said, yeah, it sure looks like me, but, you know, it's not me, but it sure as heck looks like me.

[Narrator]

He tells the police officers that the sketch and him both have a baby face. After they show him the sketch, police start looking for an alibi. Paul tells police he couldn't exactly remember what he was doing at the time of the attack, but assumed he was likely hanging out with his girlfriend Carla.

[Kathy Kanzura]

And then they asked him for the DNA stuff and he gave it to him willingly.

[Narrator]

Samples of his hair are taken, but also his blood. Paul is one of the few men brought in for questioning, asked to provide a blood sample. The interview lasts approximately 30 minutes, and the lead into Paul was never followed.

[Kathy Kanzura]

He just didn't seem like, you know, the kind of suspect that would do this.

[Narrator]

The thing is, by the time Paul is brought in, the investigation into the Scarborough Rapist is winding down. That's because the attack stopped once the rapist's final victim got a good look at his face. Law enforcement shifts their focus on the list of suspects.

[Kathy Kanzura]

They had like a thousand. His name went right to the bottom. And the DNA sample that they took of him, unfortunately, it wasn't evaluated because he was so low down on the priority list.

[Narrator]

Little did they know at the time, their instinct to take Paul's blood wouldn't be in vain.

[John Rosen]

If you just saw Paul Bernardo in the late 80s or met Paul Bernardo, you would just think he was a fairly handsome young man. Blond hair, blue eyes, looked pretty average. Not someone who would be stalking women, attacking women, brutally assaulting them. You would never have thought that if you just saw him.

[Narrator]

This wouldn't be Paul's last brush with the law. From ID this is very scary, people. The Ken and Barbie Killers. I'm your host, Donnie Wahlberg. You might remember me from our first season, the Amityville Murders. And now in this season, we're traveling to Canada and a place known for its cold beer and warm welcomes to trace the twisted path of Paul Bernardo and Carla Homolka, a couple from Toronto that appeared loving and wholesome. The truth is, they were anything but. We'll explore how the boy and the girl next door became the killers known as Ken and Barbie. This is episode two. Call 911. Carla Homolka was the Kind of girl who grew up dreaming of her wedding day. After all, she grew up in the 80s, raised by hopelessly romantic John Hughes movies and power ballads like Take My Breath Away. She was a teenager totally tuned into a culture that was all about the pursuit of love. Kathy Kanzura says it's even how Carla and her friends would spend their time together.

[John Rosen]

They had what they called the Diamond Club, which was talking about the diamond rings they hoped to get for their engagements. And, you know, she was pretty focused on getting a boyfriend and getting married.

[Narrator]

Carla imagined her left hand shining at in the sun with a huge two carat ring on her finger. A ring fit for royalty. Mary Garofalo recalls, she had a couple other hopes for her dream guy too.

[John Rosen]

She wrote in her yearbook that she.

[Narrator]

Was looking for a rich man.

[Marc Maron]

This was her only goal in life.

[Narrator]

That she was going to marry a rich guy. She had a handful of boyfriends and kissed some frogs before finally finding her prince. Amy Schlossberg remembers just how excited Carla was about finding Paul.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

When Carla met Paul Bernardo, she thought her fairytale was finally coming true.

[Narrator]

He was everything she had dreamt up in her Diamond Club days, and she was over the moon.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

She has always wanted to, you know, live a life where she was with a husband who made her feel happy, good looking, had money. She really thought this was the start of the life she always wanted.

[Narrator]

Kathy Kenzor recalls the night they met. In the fall of 1987, Paul Bernardo.

[John Rosen]

And Carla Homolka met in a hotel lobby in Scarborough. I believe she was 17, he was 23.

[Narrator]

Carla was at the Howard Johnson Hotel.

[John Rosen]

On business, and she was in Scarborough for a pet food convention, of all things, because she worked at a pet store as a teenager. And he and some friends had showed up at the lobby of the hotel late at night to hit the 24 hour restaurant.

[Narrator]

That's when the two first locked eyes.

[John Rosen]

And she came down with one of her friends. I think they were even in their pajamas, just hanging out, being teenagers in the lobby. And the two girls and two guys connected, talked, hit it off, ended up back in Carla's room.

[Narrator]

John Rosen says from there they were all over each other.

[Marc Maron]

It's lust at first sight. They come and sit with the girls and they talk and the next thing you know is they've all adjourned to the girls room and they set up pillows on the floor to separate the two areas so that there would be some privacy, and they have sex.

[Narrator]

Apparently this was pretty typical behavior of Paul. But Amy says that night Something was different.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

It was known that Paul Bernardo, he had one night stands quite often. So it was to everyone's surprise where he asked Carla for her information and he did follow up with her.

[Narrator]

It was a special gesture for Carla too. From that night on, she just knew Paul was the one.

[John Rosen]

Carla has said that she fell head over heels in love. It was love at first sight when she met Paul Bernardo.

[Narrator]

And it wasn't long after meeting in Scarborough that the two made things official. John Rosen says Paul was doing a lot of commuting in those early days.

[Marc Maron]

From that point on he's dating her and he's driving in to Saint Catharines to see her.

[Narrator]

They were in that exciting time when you first start dating, the honeymoon phase, those early days when that special person is the first thing you think about. When you wake up, you want to spend every second together and when you're not, you're up all night talking on the phone. Young, beautiful and in full on puppy love. They were having the time of their lives and documenting all of it on their home video camera.

[John Rosen]

Oh, focus.

[Narrator]

Isn't she beautiful? Come here. In that home video clip, Karla is seated at her dining room table in a white baggy crew neck T shirt, flipping through a magazine. Her smile is wide, but she shyly turned her head away from the camera. She was blushing. Here's Amy again.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

They were both very attractive by society's standards. Fun, loving, did what young couples do. They seemed very much in love.

[Narrator]

And after nearly two years, on Christmas Eve of 1989, Paul proposed with the diamond ring like Carla had always wanted.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

The two got engaged at Niagara Falls.

[Narrator]

At one of North America's natural wonders. With cool mist in the air and all the colors of autumn surrounding them, the two committed to forever together. As the cascading falls poured into the.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Atlantic, they were just starting their lives together and things were looking like they were going well for the couple.

[Narrator]

In their first three years together, Paul got real close with Carla's family, her parents Carl and Dorothy, and with Carla's two younger sisters, Tammy and Lori. All three of them were spitting images of one another. Golden blonde hair, bronze complexions and wide smiles. Kathy says they were close knit and enjoyed a lot of quality time.

[John Rosen]

They did a lot of things together. They spent a lot of holidays together and just quality family time hanging out.

[Narrator]

John mentioned their home was a classic middle class, suburban single story house on a quiet street. There was a single tree on their grassy front lawn and a swimming pool in the backyard.

[Marc Maron]

On the main fort, there's Three bedrooms. Her sister has one bedroom, her middle sister has another one. Her parents have a third bedroom.

[Narrator]

And if you went downstairs to the lower level into the basement, you'd find Carla's room. This is where she and Paul spent countless nights watching movies together. The Homolka's approval of Paul meant everything to carla. And by 1990, Paul was a welcome fixture in their home.

[John Rosen]

He's staying there all the time.

[Narrator]

John told us. That's when Paul's days of the two hour drive to St. Catharines were over.

[Marc Maron]

He eventually decides to leave accounting and move in with her family in St. Catharines.

[Narrator]

He joined Carla in the basement, where the two could have their own private fortress. Down there, the two could escape the world together and do whatever they wanted. Listen to their music loudly, watch movies for hours, talk endlessly about their wedding plans, and dream up the life they couldn't wait to start with one another.

[John Rosen]

To make switching to the new Boost.

[Narrator]

Mobile risk free, we're offering a 30.

[John Rosen]

Day money back guarantee.

[Narrator]

So why wouldn't you switch from Verizon or T Mobile?

[John Rosen]

Because you have nothing to lose. Boost Mobile is offering a 30 day money back guarantee.

[Narrator]

No, I asked. Why wouldn't you switch from Verizon or T Mobile? Wouldn't.

[John Rosen]

Because you love wasting money as a way to punish yourself because your mother.

[Narrator]

Never showed you enough love as a child. Whoa, easy there. Yeah. Applies to online activations. Requires port in and auto pay. Customers activating in stores may be charged non refundable activation fees.

[John Rosen]

Yeah, sure thing. Hey, you sold that car yet?

[Narrator]

Yeah, sold it to Carvana.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Oh, I thought you were selling to that guy.

[Narrator]

The guy who wanted to pay me in foreign currency, no interest over 36 months. Yeah, no. Carvana gave me an offer in minutes, picked it up and paid me on the spot. It was so convenient.

[John Rosen]

Just like that.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[John Rosen]

No hassle?

[Narrator]

None.

[John Rosen]

That is super convenient.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Sell your car to Carvana and swap. Hassle for convenience. Pickup fees may apply.

[Karen Reed]

Dear old work platform, it's not you, it's us. Actually, it is you. Endless onboarding, constant IT bottlenecks. We've had enough. We need a platform that just gets us. And to be honest, we've met someone new. They're called Monday.com and it was love at first. Onboarding. Their beautiful dashboards, their customizable workflows got us floating on a digital cloud nine. So no hard feelings, but we're moving on. Monday.com, the first work platform you'll love to use.

[Narrator]

This cold and flu season Instacart is here to help deliver all of your sick day essentials. Whether you're in prevention mode and need vitamins, hand sanitizer and that lemon tea your nana swears by, or you're in healing mode and need medicine, soup and a lot more tissues, simply download the Instacart app and get sick day supplies that reinvigorate or relieve. Delivered in as fast as 30 minutes. Plus enjoy. $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Excludes restaurant orders, service fees and terms apply. So Paul became part of the family and a year after their Christmastime engagement, everyone was looking forward to celebrating the holidays together. The Homolkas decided to throw a festive Christmas party complete with seasonal favorites like eggnog and classic holiday tunes. There were presents scattered across the floor under a colorfully decorated tree. Winters get cold in the north, but inside their home with the new addition to their family, things felt especially warm that year. This was their first holiday together. It was a big deal. So, you know, Paul took his camera out to film. The special night captured just how lively and magical the night was until the festivities took a startling turn. The family were indulging in holiday treats and drinks, including Carla's younger sister, Tammy. John Rosen, longtime Canadian defense attorney, says how the night unfolded.

[Marc Maron]

Tammy has a lot to drink and it's not straight booze, it's mixed drinks and things.

[Narrator]

There's a home video of Paul recording Tammy. Her hair was up in a ponytail, she's wearing a white shirt and jeans and she's seated on the family couch. It's a leather Chesterfield. She's holding a wine glass, sipping a yellow tinted drink on ice. Hi Tam, how you doing? What are you thinking there? Ice? Tammy doesn't look like she's doing okay. She looks sleepy, like she wasn't all there. Kathy saw another clip of the home video.

[John Rosen]

So there's video footage of that night because Paul Bernardo was videotaping everything and she's like, oh, I'm seeing double, like that kind of thing. So you can tell she really is feeling pretty woozy.

[Narrator]

Nobody thought too much of all seemed in good fun and in the holiday spirit.

[Marc Maron]

And she gets a little bit drunk and the parents decide to go to bed. The sister decides she's going to retire for the night, go call her boyfriend and the other three adjourn to the basement to watch movies.

[Narrator]

Laurie calls it a night. But while Carla, Paul and Tammy are watching a movie, something unexpected happens.

[Marc Maron]

Tammy passes out.

[Narrator]

And she doesn't wake up.

[Marc Maron]

So they called 911, the police and the ambulance came.

[Narrator]

They did what they could to revive her.

[John Rosen]

When the paramedics arrived, they had to intubate her, took her to hospital, but.

[Narrator]

They were too late.

[John Rosen]

And unfortunately, Tammy died the next day in hospital.

[Narrator]

Paul and Carla were in shock. They couldn't believe how fast everything had happened. Kathy says they were noticeably shaken up.

[John Rosen]

When the paramedics came to the house and the police came to the house. Paul Bernardo was hysterical. He was apparently banging his head against the wall. And why, why, why is this happening? Carla was also crying.

[Narrator]

She was visibly inconsolable.

[John Rosen]

Her parents were asking what was going on. She couldn't, you know, she couldn't really put a sentence together because she was crying.

[Narrator]

The Homolkas were trying to make sense of it all. How could Tammy be alive, having fun in one moment and dead the next? Officers at the scene tried to put the pieces together. Here's John again with the details from the night.

[Marc Maron]

The officers who attended didn't see anything out of the ordinary except a young teenager who had had too much alcohol and fallen asleep.

[Narrator]

They assessed the circumstances of Tammy's death.

[Marc Maron]

Quickly and it was treated as an accident.

[Narrator]

But some officers thought there was something suspicious about Carla and Paul's initial reaction to Tammy's death. Kathy recalls that Paul's reaction was particularly strange.

[John Rosen]

The police wrote at the time over the top with, you know, a bit more dramatic than, than, you know, the, the, I guess the boyfriend of the sister of someone. They wouldn't expect to act that way.

[Narrator]

Tammy's death may have been ruled accidental, but as details emerged, there were some that begged more questions. Nick Pran was working as a reporter for the Toronto Star Back then. His focus was to report on all things police related. And because of that, he had access to pictures of Tammy the day she was found dead.

[Kathy Kanzura]

What was suspicious was she had like, burn marks all around her mouth. I know I'm talking to one of the officers and he said that just, it just bothered him.

[Narrator]

To get people excited about Boost Mobile's new nationwide 5G network, we're offering unlimited talk, text and data for $25 a month, forever. Even if you have a baby, even if your baby has a baby, even if you grow old and wrinkly and you start repeating yourself, even if you start repeating yourself, even if you're on your deathbed and you need to make one last call or text, right? Or text the long lost son you abandoned at birth, you'll still get unlimited.

[John Rosen]

Talk, text and Data for just $25 a month.

[Narrator]

With Boost Mobile forever after 30 gigabytes customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. Moreover.

[John Rosen]

Yeah, sure thing. Hey, you sold that car yet?

[Narrator]

Yeah, sold it to Carvana.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Oh, I thought you were selling to that guy.

[Narrator]

The guy who wanted to pay me in foreign currency. No interest over 36 months. Yeah, no. Carvana gave me an offer in minutes, picked it up and paid me on the spot. It was so convenient.

[John Rosen]

Just like that.

[Narrator]

Yep.

[John Rosen]

No hassle.

[Narrator]

None.

[John Rosen]

That is super convenient.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Sell your car to Carvana and swap. Hassle for convenience. Pickup fees may apply.

[Karen Reed]

Work management platforms Ugh. Endless onboarding IT bottlenecks admin requests. But what if things were different?

[Narrator]

We found love in an open space.

[Karen Reed]

Monday.com is different. No lengthy onboarding, beautiful reports in minutes, custom workflows you can build on your own. Easy to use prompt free AI. Huh. Turns out you can love a work management platform. Monday.com the first work platform you'll love to use.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

There's one thing that will forever change the way you sleep, and it's the softest 100% organic cotton bedding from Boll and Branch. You'll fall asleep faster wrapped in the most luxurious, comfortable. You'll never sleep hot again. With airy blankets, cloudlight duvets, and breathable sheets. You'll experience pure comfort on night one and feel your bedding get softer with every wash. Discover the difference with 15% off your first [e-mail] with code buttery exclusions apply. See site for details.

[Narrator]

Something else was odd. Not long after their emotional reaction to the death of Tammy, Carla and Paul bounced back with a life goes on attitude. They were still gung ho about moving ahead with their wedding plans underway, almost as if nothing happened. Amy says they weren't keeping it hidden from their friends and family either.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Carla had wrote to a friend that was basically complaining that some of the money that was being put aside for her wedding was no longer there because it was used for the funeral. And she was also almost upset that her father was still grieving.

[Narrator]

And while most details of Tammy's funeral have been kept private, what was reported about Paul's behavior at the service is nothing short of strange.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

I read somewhere that he. Did he sniff her hair or something? He was playing with her hair at the funeral. It's so creepy.

[Narrator]

Something about the whole thing just didn't seem right.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

These are huge red flags. That's not. That's not the behavior of a grieving family member.

[Narrator]

Take a minute to imagine losing a loved One, a sibling. That's someone you've spent more time with and know better than anyone else in the world. Wouldn't you be devastated? In the wake of Tammy's death, Carla and Paul insisted on carrying out their dream wedding and it was causing a rift. Remember, these two wanted a celebration for the ages with no expense spared. A horse drawn carriage, catering decorations, tuxedos, and of course a show stopping wedding gown. Kathy recalls that the pressure was on and it was a stressful time for the Homolkas.

[John Rosen]

There was a lot of tension in the Homolka house after Tammy died. And at a certain point I believe her parents had said to her, like, can we tone this down a little bit? The wedding is going to cost a fortune. And we just had to pay a lot of money for Tammy's funeral, which is, you know, an unexpected expensive cost.

[Narrator]

Carla refused to tone it down and grew even more impatient with her parents attitude.

[John Rosen]

And she was really, really miffed about it that the family was, you know, not willing to carry on with these elaborate wedding plans. So much so that her and Paul actually moved out before the wedding.

[Narrator]

Their sudden move was part Carla and Paul's decision and part request of her parents.

[John Rosen]

The Homolkas said, we need some private time. We want to grieve. Without Paul in the house, he needs to leave.

[Narrator]

Paul and Carla found a place to rent in a neighboring community called Port Dalhousie.

[John Rosen]

Port Dalhousie is a little town that is very quaint and it's one of the many little beautiful towns right by Lake Ontario. And the house that they rented was a cute little pink clapboard house that, you know, looked like it should be in a postcard. It was so cute.

[Narrator]

The house sat on a quiet street called Bayview Drive. It was paneled on the outside. To get to the front door you'd have to walk up five steps. It had a covered entranceway. The front yard wasn't too much to write home about, but for a new couple's first home, the little house was perfect. Just like the house, Port da Luzi is small too. Its population lands at about 5,000, but it boasts epic lakefront views from their cute little pink house. They carried on with their wedding plans without the distraction of the family drama. But they still expected the family to foot the bill. Here's Nick again.

[Kathy Kanzura]

He said, well, he told the Homolkas to take out another mortgage on your house to pay for our wedding.

[Narrator]

Paul and Carla were set on getting their way. Megan remembers that strangely, despite Tammy's death and disagreements, the wedding was a go.

[John Rosen]

They went ahead and they had it. The Homolka family participated and Carla had.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Her perfect wedding day.

[John Rosen]

This beautiful, lavish wedding that Carla had wanted so badly almost didn't happen because of this tragedy that the Homolka family had suffered six months earlier with the death of Tammy.

[Narrator]

So the young, relentless couple got their way and pulled off the wedding of their dreams. But some of their guests could sense that there was something boiling beneath the picture perfect surface.

[Kathy Kanzura]

You could tell that she had issues, but her friends at the time just didn't quite see it. Although they knew something was wrong, but they just couldn't, couldn't put their finger on, you know, what exactly it was.

[Narrator]

While friends may have raised their eyebrows, Carla and Paul like to keep up appearances. Megan Sachs is a criminology professor. She told us it was easy to see how important it was to the couple to come off as perfect.

[John Rosen]

That was certainly one of their things, both physical material and in every way.

[Narrator]

The two put a lot of effort into their outward facing Personas.

[John Rosen]

They liked the way they looked to the outside world. It was important, I guess, for them to maintain a dual life.

[Narrator]

Were their wedding guests onto something?

[John Rosen]

In reality, they were not the people.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

That anyone thought that they actually were.

[John Rosen]

Everyone was wrong.

[Narrator]

Next up on Very Scary People, the Ken and Barbie Killers. Not long after the Homolkas suffer a personal loss. The day Carla and Paul got married, their town is shaken by an unprecedented tragedy of its own. A body of a young woman is discovered. 14 year old Leslie Mahaffy went missing on June 15th. Two weeks later, her dismembered body parts were found encased in concrete in Lake Gibson. The town of Burlington is in shock. How could this smiling girl, whose picture we'd all seen in the paper, have come to this fate? Then to make matters worse, not even a year after finding Leslie, another local girl goes missing. We had the abduction of a 16 year old girl named Kristen French who had been abducted while walking home from school. It sends the quiet town of St. Catharines into a panic. It went from an area where you didn't have much worry to where you started keeping your children and your family closer. You were worried that you were going to lose somebody. Very scary people. The Ken and Barbie Killers as hosted by me, Donnie Wahlberg. It's a production of ID in collaboration with Neon Hum Media and is based on an original series created by CNN executive producer Nancy Duffy. At cnn, our senior producer is Sabina Ryman, our producer is Allison O'Brien and our associate producer is Michael Reyes. From ID, our executive producer is Jessica Lowther from Neon Hum Media. Our executive producer is Jonathan Hirsch. Koopa Mall is our producer and our associate producer is Zoe Culkin. Our editor is Stephanie Serrano. Samantha Allison is our production manager. Our fact checker is Katherine Newham. Josh Hahn is our mix engineer. Theme and original music composed by Asha Ivanovich.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Come on down to Boost Mobile and.

[Narrator]

Turn your tax refund into six months of savings. Nope, all wrong. You're on the radio touting Boost Mobile's 5G network. You gotta use your radio voice like this. Come on down to Boost Mobile and get six months free when you buy. Six months on our best unlimited plans. Now you go. This is just how my voice sounds. Just say it like you mean it.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Okay. Plus, enter to win up to $10,000.

[Narrator]

And double your tax refund. Oh my.

[John Rosen]

Requires upfront payment, taxes and fees, extra terms and exclusions applied.

[Narrator]

Visit boost mobile.com for pullover terms and sweeps details.

[Karen Reed]

Work Management platforms.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Ugh.

[Karen Reed]

Endless onboarding. IT bottlenecks, admin requests. But what if things were different? Monday.com is different. No lengthy onboarding, beautiful reports in minutes. Custom workflows you can build on your own. Easy to use prompt free AI. Huh. Turns out you can love a work management platform. Monday.com the first work platform you'll love to use.

[John Rosen]

My name is Karen Reed. I'm being charged with murdering a Boston police officer. This can't be real. Doing this film is my testimony, A.

[Narrator]

Body in the Snow, the Trial of Kent, an ID documentary event. Tonight at 9. Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend. Welcome to the Daily Beast Podcast. I'm Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer of the Daily Beast. And I am Samantha Beat, Chief Content Officer of my house and home and nothing else.

[John Rosen]

Every Thursday, we're inviting you to the Beast Best dinner party you've ever been to.

[Narrator]

You're going to hear all our spicy takes on what's happening in politics and pop culture straight from the Daily Beast newsroom. And we'll be having amazing guests, too. Those sort of guests you've always wanted to sit next to and talk to.

[John Rosen]

Off the record.

[Narrator]

Thank you for listening. And please, like, subscribe and share this podcast with a friend you want to feel smarter than or argue with.

[Donnie Wahlberg]

Look, if you're sharing, feel free to.

[Narrator]

Share it with all your weird uncles too. ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.