Homolka says: 'I still haven't forgiven myself'

CTV.ca News Staff

Just two hours after Karla Homolka was released from prison Monday, she stepped in front of the camera to tell Canadians she is no longer a dangerous person.

"I don't want to be hunted down,'' Homolka told RDI, Radio-Canada's all-news French station.

"I don't want people to think I am dangerous and I'm going to do something to their children.''

Homolka's surprise interview occurred just hours after her legal-aid lawyers were in court attempting to get an injunction banning media coverage of her post-prison life.

Homolka, now 35, was dressed in white capri pants, a black top and black sandals. She was visibly older than the young woman who went to jail 12 years ago for manslaughter in the deaths of Ontario teens Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy.

In the interview, conducted entirely in French, Homolka said she "can't forgive herself" for her crimes, which include the death of her 15-year-old sister Tammy.

"I think I will never be truly free, because there are different kinds of prisons. There are concrete prisons, and there are internal prisons. And I think I will always be in an internal prison."

The St. Catharines, Ont. native did the interview even before seeing her own mother, who is in Montreal to help her daughter rejoin society.

Homolka explained that while she preferred to "keep things private," she decided with her lawyer that the interview was the best thing to do to keep the media from hounding her.

Always in control, Homolka refused to answer questions about the status of her relationship with convicted killer Jean-Paul Gerbet, and where she plans to live.

When asked what was the first thing she planned to do once leaving prison, Homolka said she wanted to go to Tim Hortons.

"This is stupid. I'd like to have an iced cappuccino. An iced cappuccino from Tim Hortons, that's what I'd like to do."

The interview capped a long wait for journalists camped out at Ste-Anne-des-Plaines penitentiary. Despite the long vigil, Homolka managed to drive past reporters undetected.

She was in one of two red Dodge Caravan minivans, hiding under a blanket as she lay on a seat.

Now that she is free, she faces several restrictions under Section 810 of the criminal code. Her lawyers will be in court in Joliette, Que., on Tuesday to fight those conditions.

Under restrictions imposed by a Quebec judge last month, Homolka must report to a police station once a month, provide a DNA sample and stay away from her victims' families and violent offenders.

She must also inform police of where she plans to live and work. Homolka must also tell authorities if she changes her name, appearance, address or occupation.

Homolka has also been ordered to return to court on the week of July 25th to testify regarding the court injunction banning media coverage of her life. It is unclear if she will testify.

Homolka claims she needs to live anonymously because there are many vigilantes who wish to do her harm, and will be able to do so because of media coverage of her new life.