Famous Female Killers Who Are Now Free: Karla Homolka and More

Whenever someone commits a heinous act, we expect them to either receive a death sentence or be imprisoned for life. But some female killers get lighter sentences if they make plea bargains with police, testify against an accomplice, or just happen to be really young at the time of conviction. Because of that, many women who committed violent murders only serve as little as 20 to 30 years before being released and allowed to walk amongst society. Karla Homolka, who was convicted of killing and raping three teenage girls, is now volunteering at an elementary school in Montreal, and there are more killers just like her. Below, six women guilty of brutal crimes who are now free.

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Karla Homolka

Dubbed "the most hated woman in Canada," Karla, along with her husband, raped and murdered three teenage girls, one of them her own sister! Karla would lure the victims to her house by drugging them, then together the couple would videotape themselves raping and torturing the girls before killing them. After Karla was arrested, she testified against her husband for a lighter sentence. She later claimed her husband abused and controlled her, which was why she went along with his crimes. However, the public never fully believed her on that, and there was much controversy when she was released in 2005 after serving only 10 years. In 2017, she made headlines again when reports claimed the convicted killer was now volunteering at a Montreal elementary school.

Laurie Tackett

When she was just a teenager, Laurie and her best friend Melinda Loveless committed one of the most heinous crimes in history. The two girls, along with two accomplices, abducted Shanda Sharer from her home, tortured her, and then burned her alive. Their motive was they were jealous that Shanda was dating one of Melinda's girlfriends. Although Melinda was the mastermind, Laurie gladly participated in the killing, even stabbing Shanda several times after she attempted to cry for help while in the trunk of their car.

After serving 26 years, she was released in 2018. The other two accomplices have already been freed. As for Laurie's friend and mastermind, Melinda, she'll be free in 2019.

Tracie Andrews

Back in 1996, she was convicted of stabbing her husband 42 times with a penknife after an argument in a car. She later tried to blame the murder on a "road rage killer" who she described as "a fat man with staring eyes" at a news conference. However, investigators later discovered she was lying and she was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, in 2011 she was released, and after changing her name and dyeing her hair black, she's now living a new life with a new husband.

Karen Severson

Karen was just 17 years old when she murdered her best friend, Missy Avila in 1985. Karen, along with an accomplice, killed Missy by beating her and then forcibly drowning her in a creek. After the murder, Karen consoled Missy's family and even attended the funeral. "She had us all fooled," Irene Avila, Missy's mother, said. "How cold-blooded can you get?" Karen was finally caught when a friend tipped off police. She spent 21 years in prison and was released in 2011. Since then, she's been on a shameless press tour, appearing on Dr. Phil and even releasing a book about her crime.

"J.R"

The youngest person to ever be convicted of murder in Canada, 13-year-old "J.R," who remains anonymous because of Canadian law, shocked the world when she and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Jeremy Steinke, slaughtered her entire family. Jeremy did most of the work, but it was J.R. who asked him to kill her family. Both J.R.'s parents were stabbed to death, and her eight-year-old brother had his throat slit. After the couple was arrested, Jeremy admitted to killing the parents but said he didn't kill the brother, prompting investigators to suspect it was J.R, although it was never confirmed. She was released in 2016 at the age of 22.

Mary Bell

Known as one of the youngest serial killers ever, Mary was just 10 when she murdered two boys, age four and three, both by strangulation. She even carved an "M" into the stomach of one boy. After being convicted in 1968, she was released in 1980 at the age of 23 and was granted anonymity by the British court. Since then, she's been living a normal life under several pseudonyms. Today, she's 60.