Notorious schoolgirl killer Karla Homolka has again failed to legally change her name, the Quebec-based TVA network reported Thursday.

Homolka hoped to alter her name to Emily Chiara Tremblay. Unlike Homolka, Tremblay is one of the most common surnames in Quebec.

She had tried to change her name before but was refused. Homolka's latest attempt failed after the Crown argued her lawyer was too late in appealing the previous ruling.

Homolka had said that changing her name was important to her personal security, by giving her anonymity.

But in the first ruling, Quebec civil-status officials dismissed her argument, saying her current name, Karla Leanne Teale, is not well known to the public. Teale is the surname she used with former husband Paul Bernardo, and is taken from a film about a serial killer.

Homolka left prison last July, after serving 12 years for the deaths of teenagers Kristen French and Leslia Mahaffy.

Bernardo is currently serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Kingston, Ont., for his role in the murders.

Homolka received a lesser sentence than Bernardo because she agreed to testify against him.

Several restrictions were placed on Homolka when she was granted release, but she successfully appealed them and now has the same rights and freedoms as any other Canadian.

Homolka no longer has to report to police on a regular basis, can go where she wants, and meet with anyone she pleases.

She is also no longer restricted from contacting the victims' families, spending time with other criminals, or associating with anyone younger than 16.

While Homolka is likely still living in Quebec, she has not been identified since working last summer in a hardware store near Longueuil.

A recent film based on the gruesome murders of French and Mahaffy, Karla, was released last January to mainly poor reviews.

"No audience, Canadian or otherwise, will learn anything here outside of the macabre facts," wrote Globe and Mail critic Rick Groen. "Worse, they won't feel anything either, not even - and this is inexcusable - for the victims themselves."

The victims' families criticized the film's subject matter, but decided not to take legal action against its release.

With files from The Canadian Press