The murder of Kristen French was a high-profile Canadian kidnapping and murder case which occurred in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. French, a 15-year-old schoolgirl was abducted by serial killers

Paul Bernardo Paul Kenneth Bernardo (born August 27, 1964), also known as Paul Jason Teale, is a Canadian serial rapist and serial killer dubbed the Scarborough Rapist, the Schoolgirl Killer and, together with his former wife Karla Homolka, one of the Ken an ...

and

Karla Homolka Karla Leanne Homolka (born May 4, 1970), also known as Karla Leanne Teale, Leanne Teale and Leanne Bordelais, is a Canadian serial killer who acted as an accomplice to her husband, Paul Bernardo, taking active part in the rapes and murders of at ...

on April 16, 1992. French was tortured, raped and finally murdered on April 19, 1992. Her naked body was found in Burlington on April 30, 1992. French's murder and kidnapping was the third and final case of the " Schoolgirl Killer murders.", including

Tammy Homolka Tammy Lyn Homolka (January 1, 1975 – December 24, 1990) was a 15-year-old Canadian girl and the first murder victim of Paul Bernardo and her older sister, Karla Homolka, eight days before what would have been Tammy's 16th birthday. Her official ...

and

Leslie Mahaffy Leslie Erin Mahaffy (July 5, 1976 – June 16, 1991) was a 14-year-old Canadian girl and the second murder victim of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. At the time of her death, she was a resident of Burlington, Ontario, and a Grade 9 student at M ...

. Bernardo was convicted for two first-degree murders and two aggravated sexual assaults, and sentenced to

life in prison without parole Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

and Homolka was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. The murder of Kristen French was widely covered by the national media, becoming one of the most notorious cases of Canada.

Biography

Kristen Dawn French (May 10, 1976 – April 19, 1992) was a 15-year-old girl from St. Catharines, Ontario. She was the second daughter of Doug and Donna French. Her brother in law is a retired journalism instructor at

Cambrian College Cambrian College, established in 1967, is a List of Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology, college of applied arts and technology in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, partnered with private Hanson College of Business, Health and Techno ...

. She was a member of a precision ice-skating team which won several medals, and a member of the girls' rowing team at

Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School (sometimes abbreviated to HC, or HCSS) is a Catholic secondary school located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada offering education for about 1,125 students in grades 9-12. History The school was established in Sep ...

Crime

Abduction

On April 16, 1992, French was walking home from Holy Cross Secondary School. French was approached at the entrance of the Grace Lutheran Church parking lot by serial killers

and

. Homolka got out of the car carrying a map, pretending to need assistance. When French was assisting Homolka with directions, Bernardo snuck up on her from behind and forced her into the car at knifepoint. While French was seated in the front seat, Homolka held down French's hair in order to keep the abductee in check. The kidnapping was seen by several eyewitnesses. When French did not come home, her parents reported her disappearance to the police. French's shoe was recovered from the parking lot.

Murder

The

medical examiner The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology and investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdicti ...

's report state she was held in captivity for three days, during which Bernardo and Homolka videotaped themselves torturing and subjecting the 15-year-old to sexual humiliation and degradation while forcing her to drink large amounts of alcohol. French is remembered for declining cooperation with her abductors in the latter period of her abduction: "Some things are worth dying for". She said to Bernardo: "I don't know how your wife can stand being around you." Stephen Williams: ''Invisible Darkness'' French was murdered on April 19, 1992; her naked body was found on April 30, 1992, in a ditch along No. 1 Sideroad in Burlington, about forty-five minutes from St. Catharines. Her body was found washed and her hair was cut off, Homolka testified that it was cut to impede identification. Pathologist Dr. Noel McAuliffe concluded that French was killed by strangulation.Pathologist testifies in Bernardo trial
Aviva Boxer,

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

(8 June 1995)

Conviction

On September 1, 1995, Bernardo was convicted of a number of offences, including the two first-degree murders and two aggravated sexual assaults of French and Leslie Mahaffy. He was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

with a possibility of parole after 25 years. On July 6, 1993, Homolka was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

Reactions

While French was missing, her classmates, teachers and friends at Holy Cross Secondary School chose the

Green Ribbon The green ribbon can have a variety of symbolic meanings. Mitochondrial disease Mitochondrial disease awareness is represented by a green ribbon. Mitochondrial disease (mito) is a debilitating genetic disorder that robs the body's cells of e ...

of Hope as the symbol for their search. French's school community also gave the name to the Green Ribbon of Hope Campaign, a national campaign continued by Child Find Canada, governments, organizations and individuals to raise funds and awareness for missing children. The Green Ribbon Trail in St. Catharines was named in her honour, and a monument to French's memory stands at the beginning of the trail. The ribbon also gave its name to the Green Ribbon Task Force, the police group tasked with finding

and French's killers, though they later found themselves embroiled in controversy over the role of media in police investigations.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Kristen 1990s missing person cases 1992 in Ontario 1990s murders in Canada 1992 crimes in Canada 1992 murders in North America April 1992 in Canada Child abduction in Canada Deaths by person in Canada Formerly missing Canadian people Incidents of violence against girls Kidnapped Canadian children Missing person cases in Canada People murdered in Ontario Violence against women in Ontario Child murder in Canada Female murder victims