These 7 Individuals Killed Innocent People, But They Were Released From Prison Early

Not much terrifies me more than the thought of running into a murderer.

While there’s no telling how many killers are actually out there (or who all of them are), I’ve always taken comfort in the mistaken belief that those who have been convicted of murder have either been sentenced to death or are spending their lives behind bars without the hope of ever being released. However, I recently found that I couldn’t be more wrong.

Though these seven people were found guilty of killing other human beings, they got out of prison long before they were supposed to.

1. Karla Homolka raped and killed at least three young women, including her own sister, with her husband Paul Bernardo in the early 1990s.

The two recorded their crimes on videotapes, which later proved that Homolka was a willing participant. However, during the investigation, she said that Bernardo forced her to help him murder. As a result, she was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter in exchange for receiving only 12 years in prison. She was released in 2005, and now lives with her new husband and children under the name Leanne Bordelais.

2. In 1988, Juha Valjakkala and his then-girlfriend Marita Routalammi were traveling through Sweden when they stole a bike from a man and his teenage son. After being chased by the rightful owners, Valjakkala killed both of them with a shotgun.