Horrific murders in Canada

[Ancalagon]

Any one of the aspect of this case would be enough to make one's eyebrow rise - the serial aspect, the sexual/bondage angle... but when it turns out that the suspect is the commander of one of Canada's air base, a man slated to become a general one day... damn. Apparently our Defence Department was in collective shock yesterday.

There has been worse murderers in Canada's history, but I can't recall an instance of serial killings by a man of this stature...

The timeline:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/762518--events-leading-to-col-russell-williams-arrest

The story:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/respected-colonel-charged-with-murder-of-two-women/article1460795/

Respected colonel charged with murder of two women

Case against Col. Russell Williams, the commanding officer at Canada's largest Air Force base in Ontario, came together in a matter of days

It was on Sunday afternoon that Colonel Russell Williams, a decorated pilot who has delivered prime ministers and soldiers to remote locales around the world, agreed to sit down with a behavioural science expert from the Ontario Provincial Police.

What has happened since that interview has shaken the Canadian Forces, and the citizens of three small towns in Eastern Ontario: Police charged Col. Williams, the commander of Canada's largest Air Force base, with the murder of two women, and assaults on two others.

And as quickly as the charges were laid against Col. Williams – he became the prime suspect in a string of unexplained attacks on women only five days ago – the detectives’ net is widening even faster. Investigators are examining crime-scene evidence from several Eastern Ontario cities and additional charges are anticipated, sources familiar with the investigation said late last night. One officer close to the case said: “This may be all, but we suspect – a guy just doesn’t start doing murders out of the blue.”

Since September, detectives in three different communities near CFB Trenton have been searching for clues in what, on its face, appeared to be three separate incidents. In September, over a span of two weeks on a quiet lakeside road in the village of Tweed, two women living just a short walk from each other were tied up in the middle of the night and photographed by an unknown assailant.

Two months later, 78 kilometres west, in the town of Brighton, the boyfriend of CFB Trenton's Corporal Marie-France Comeau discovered his girlfriend dead in her home, the victim of what was quickly deemed a homicide.

Little more than a week ago, a Belleville woman, 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd, was reported missing when she failed to show up for her shift with Tri-Board Student Transportation in the town of Napanee.

Police found her body Monday morning.

In each community, the attacks had their distinct unnerving effects. “Girls my age are terrified,” said Erin Fisher, 28, of Belleville. At the Fare and Fowl Pub on Tweed's main drag, the patrons dubbed the mysterious attacker “The Creeper.”

Larry Jones, a resident of Tweed's Cosy Cove Lane, where the two assaults took place, said his friends stopped speaking to him after he was hauled in for repeated police interviews.

Five days ago, police got their break during roadside stops on a rural highway.

Something – police won't say what – pointed at Col. Williams, the seasoned pilot who took command of CFB Trenton about six months ago.

One police source called it “luck of the draw. Just old-fashioned police work. He lived in the area, and there were some things seen, vehicles seen that matched his, and they started looking at cases, linked the three of them, and just went from there.”

The roadside discovery prompted police to sweep out across the province.

By Sunday, OPP officers with search warrants were combing through Col. Williams's cottage-like home on Cosy Cove Lane, and the residence he shares with his wife in the upscale Ottawa neighbourhood of Westboro.

It has been less than two months since the couple moved into the newly developed, $700,000 home on Edison Avenue. Col. Williams's wife, Mary Elizabeth Harriman, is the associate director of Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation.

“She is taking extended leave to focus on family matters,” a spokeswoman for the charity said on Monday. “And we continue to support her.”

The day the searches commenced, Col. Williams had his police interrogation.

Investigators are saying nothing about what was discussed during those few hours.

But while police are pushing their probe forward, the residents of Trenton are trying to come to grips with the allegations against Col. Williams, a man that many of them have met.

“We all look up to the soldiers. This really is scary. It would be like finding out the mayor was killing girls,” said Chantal Jouan, 17.

In an interview with The Kingston Whig-Standard, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk said: “This is a tough day for anyone in uniform.”

During his brief appearance in a Belleville courtroom yesterday, Col. Williams loudly announced his name when asked, but quieted down when he answered that he understood the charges. For most of the proceeding, which is covered by a court-imposed publication ban, he stared down toward his feet. He wore a dark blue jumpsuit. Col. Williams has been relieved of his duties.

In Tweed, residents vividly recalled their interactions with Col. Williams.

In this small town of 6,500, the only things that stuck out more than his sleek, blue BMW were his protruding jaw line and impeccable posture.

Neighbours on Cosy Cove Lane recalled that he would clear his lawn of frogs before starting up his mower. He seemed especially affectionate towards his kitten, a black and white cat named Rose, one neighbour said.

Col. Williams was part of a rarefied group. Canada has fewer than 100 Air Force colonels. While the charges against him are sure to spur a lot of introspection among the military, the forces were standing behind his rapid ascent Monday.

“The thing about a guy in his position is we observe him over decades in a wide variety of jobs and positions to make sure he's the right individual for such a high-stress and high-responsibility job, and we select these people very, very carefully,” said retired chief of the air staff Angus Watt.

“If there is the slightest hint of any wrongdoing or character weakness in somebody, we do not appoint him to a position of this magnitude. It's just not done. … It's an objective process, and obviously, we missed something here.”

Col. Williams has also been prominent in repatriation ceremonies of soldiers who died in Afghanistan since he joined the base.

Even to a senior security source, the CFB Trenton commander was an intimidating presence: “You reflect on yourself and say, God, am I as sharp as him?”

Ontario Provincial Police Detective Inspector Chris Nicholas confirmed at yesterday’s press conference that police will be exploring whether Col. Williams played any role in the 2001 unsolved murder and sexual assault near CFB Trenton of Kathleen MacVicar, 19.

For Det. Insp. Nicholas, the officer co-ordinating the expansive probe on behalf of the multiple police forces involved, the case is not his first involving a soldier alleged to have become unhinged.

In 1991, he arrested Stephane Menard, a former member of the disgraced Canadian Airborne Regiment, who was later convicted of murdering a Montreal cab driver.

With reports from Colin Freeze, John Ibbitson and Steven Chase

[Dawnstar]

Sad. It is scary when someone in authority does stuff like this. But sadly to me no surprising.

Stories like this are very sad and make me think of the cops that beat their wives. And people are shocked that they would do such a thing. They are all humans capable of doing anything. Just because they are a cop or in the military does not make them exempt from bad behavior.

[Northcott]

We expect certain standards of behaviour from certain segments of our society. Teacher, cops, soldiers, and several others have more rigid expectations applied to them than Joe Average... and that's the way it should be. They have awesome responsibilities entrusted to them, we need to be able to rest assured that the people undertaking those responsibilities are suited for the task.

The armed forces in Canada have a particular vibe to them; heroism and compassion are among the chief selling points. Our recruitment ads aren't about becoming ass-kicking machines, armies of one, etc -- the recruitment ads for the Canadian forces feature scenes of human misery, with relevant captions looking for troops who are inspired to "fight starvation", "fight hopelessness"... focusing on aid and rescue work just as much as on combat. Our soldiers are renowned as peacekeepers. This is a huge blow to the image of the forces.

[Ancalagon]

I think it has a lot to do with the nature of the murders as well. Had this been a crime of passion (enraged husband kills wife kinda deal), Canadians would have been saddened but not agast.

It seems that he divulged a lot of details and even lead police to the body. Some sources say he mentioned about 4 dozen "burglaries" where we would go in somewhere, steal something or take photos (but presumably not attack anyone).

[Snatch]

I know the whole "innocent until proven guility", but the infortmation coming out so far is ghastly.

I don't think it's a huge blow to the Forces from a national image stand point, but CFB Trenton must be reeling.

[Kyle Voltti]

I have to admit... I kind of wish he'd just hang himself. ah well we could always just lock him in with Paul bernardo and wall up the door

[Ancalagon]

I have a gut feeling he's going to plea guilty - perhaps for the best.

I think this will be a stain on the military... but that people will be able to move on. There is one big if though. IF the military helped this guy cover up... and I don't mean bury bodies here, but say, make some indiscretions go away... that would be bad.

[Kyle Voltti]

God I can only imagine how bad this would have been if he'd been a general by the time he was caught.

[Northcott]

I know the whole "innocent until proven guility", but the infortmation coming out so far is ghastly.

I don't think it's a huge blow to the Forces from a national image stand point, but CFB Trenton must be reeling.

You're right, of course. My initial reaction was just a kneejerk thing. I've heard of some people in Trenton getting twitchy about the military, but it's not a big thing or in a huge way... just that sort of uncomfortable reminder when they see uniformed soldiers in town. I've also heard of soldiers not being entirely comfortable going into town in uniform, but several deciding to just tackle that head-on by doing so.

Unless it turns out there's some sort of cover-up, this shouldn't be a blow to the military as a whole, but rather just a horrible kind of shock for people both in and out of uniform.

[Bagpuss]

Am I the only person that sees headlines like.

"Horrific murders in...."

and thinks, hmm new inspiration for Call of Cthulhu, Conspiracy X or Cyberpunk scenario?

[The Winslow]

Though in this case, I'd rather see an old-WoD Werewolf story.

[Snatch]

You're right, of course. My initial reaction was just a kneejerk thing. I've heard of some people in Trenton getting twitchy about the military, but it's not a big thing or in a huge way... just that sort of uncomfortable reminder when they see uniformed soldiers in town. I've also heard of soldiers not being entirely comfortable going into town in uniform, but several deciding to just tackle that head-on by doing so.

Unless it turns out there's some sort of cover-up, this shouldn't be a blow to the military as a whole, but rather just a horrible kind of shock for people both in and out of uniform.

I hope that's not the case, and really have no reason to believe otherwise.

Living so close to the Edmonton Garrison here, I can't image uniformed soldiers not being paid respect! The city (and by that I include the citizens) here has always been strongly behind and supportive of the military personnel.

[Kyle Voltti]

I hope that's not the case, and really have no reason to believe otherwise.

Living so close to the Edmonton Garrison here, I can't image uniformed soldiers not being paid respect! The city (and by that I include the citizens) here has always been strongly behind and supportive of the military personnel.

I would hope that it's just a recent thing due to the shocking revalations and that shortly things will return to normal

[Ancalagon]

There is a lot of discussion about looking at cold cases etc to see if he had killed previously, but some of the details that are coming out lead me to believe it may not be the case. First of all, he seems to have spilled the beans. Second, it seems that the first death was accidental - he didn't mean to kill her. So we see here is a "clear" case of escalation, with some of the steps being accidental. In some cases, killing someone traumatizes the murderer, and said trauma causes more murders...

Thank god he was caught before he killed again!

[doc]

But Canadians are so NICE ?!?!?!?

[Freedom Canadian]

But Canadians are so NICE ?!?!?!?

He was born in England. ;)

[Ancalagon]

the court artists are not making him look very friendly...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/02/18/colonel-russell-williams-court-belleville.html

look at that painting? Why not put horns on it while you are at it?

[bunny]

the court artists are not making him look very friendly...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/02/18/colonel-russell-williams-court-belleville.html

look at that painting? Why not put horns on it while you are at it?

Why are there still court artists? The whole thing makes no sense. I understand not wanting press cameras in the court room, but a court still photographer working with a flash free, silent, digital camera would make more sense than an artist's recording of events. The artists subjectivity always comes through to some degree or another.

[Ancalagon]

Further development - after a failed suicide attempt, he is doing a hunger strike - but with no demands. He's basically trying to starve himself to death. I think he may have the will-power to succeed...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/accused-commander-russell-williams-on-hunger-strike/article1529801/

Accused commander Russell Williams on hunger strike

‘There’s a lot that he doesn’t want to come out at trial or through a guilty plea,’ source says


Timothy Appleby

From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Friday, Apr. 09, 2010 8:37PM EDT Last updated on Friday, Apr. 09, 2010 8:43PM EDT

Accused murderer and sex predator Colonel Russell Williams intends to thwart the justice system by starving himself to death in his Napanee jail cell, prosecutors believe.

“There’s a lot that he doesn’t want to come out at trial or through a guilty plea,” a source close to the investigation said. “This would be his way of trying to make sure of that.”

If Col. Williams has, indeed, resolved to slowly commit suicide by depriving himself of all food – typically an agonizing process – there is little authorities can do to prevent him.

Force-feeding, most commonly by means of tubes inserted in the nose or mouth, is outlawed under a 1975 resolution of the World Medical Association.

Following a suicide attempt last weekend, the former commander of the Trenton air base has been on a hunger strike, and as of Thursday evening had refused all food.

But whereas most hunger strikes hinge on demands of some type, Col. Williams has made none, the source said.

Under international statute, a hunger-striker can be given medical help, and in extreme cases, taken to hospital.

But force-feeding, such as was inflicted on Britain’s suffragettes (leather funnels were shoved down their throats) is banned provided the prisoner is “capable of forming an unimpaired and rational judgment,” in the language of the WMA.

(That did not prevent the George W. Bush administration from using the technique numerous times in its so-called war on terror, most notably at its Guantanamo prison in Cuba.) Hunger strikers typically last about two months before expiring, far less if they refuse water as well. IRA prisoner Bobby Sands, one of 10 militants who starved themselves to death in a Northern Ireland prison in 1981, died after 66 days.

Detained at the Quinte Detention Centre, west of Kingston, Col. Williams, 47, faces two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of Jessica Lloyd, 27, and Corporal Marie-France Comeau, 37, both from Eastern Ontario, in separate incidents. He also faces two charges of sexual assault and four related counts of unlawful confinement and breaking and entering. All the attacks encompassed nighttime assaults on women alone in their homes.

In addition to the criminal charges, the career airman is also a suspect in a years-long string of house burglaries in which women’s underwear was stolen.

In Canada, there appears to be no precedent for a person charged with murder escaping trial through self-starvation.

Col. Williams was arrested and charged Feb. 7 and since then has been incarcerated in the detention centre’s segregation wing.

Since his suicide bid, which saw him jam his cell door and then try to force a paper-packed cardboard toilet roll down his throat, he has been under 24-hour scrutiny.

He scrawled a crude goodbye letter, the source also confirmed, saying his personal affairs were in order and that his troubles were “unbearable.”

Jail guards who peered through his cell-door window and spied the colonel choking managed to unjam the door lock and revive him.

Col. Williams’s last two court appearances have been by video link, with a third scheduled for April 29.

Currently under way is the discovery process, which allows the defence to examine the prosecution’s evidence. In this instance, much of that material comprises lengthy videotaped statements Col. Williams has given to police.

Before the next court appearance, which is expected to set yet another court date, there will be a pre-trial consultation involving the prosecution, the defence and Superior Court Judge Mr. Justice Stephen Hunter.

Col. Williams has retained Ottawa lawyer Michael Edelson, who has repeatedly declined all comment on his client’s plight.

[Kyle Voltti]

his client's plight?

somehow I doubt the families of his victims are all to worried about how painfull his end by starvation might be.

[Ancalagon]

It seems that he has decided to plea guilty to all charges:

This is probably for the best.

(note again how incredibly creepy the court artist makes him look)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/colonel-russell-williams-to-plead-guilty-to-all-charges/article1747202/

Colonel Russell Williams to plead guilty to all charges

Accused killer and former air-base commander Russell Williams will plead guilty to all the charges against him, his lawyer Michael Edelson told Superior Court Thursday morning.

Every spot in the 153-seat courtroom was taken as Mr. Edelson told presiding Superior Court Judge Mr. Justice Robert Scott that Col. Williams did not wish to contest the charges.

Clad in a dark suit, white shirt and brown shoes, Col. Williams was led into the courtroom in handcuffs. His hair was closely cropped. He displayed no emotion as Mr. Edelson announced the decision, but simply gazed at the courtroom floor.

One floor down, an overflow room was also packed. In both venues the mood during the hearing, which was less than 15 minutes, was electric.

Crown attorney Lee Burgess listed some minor amendments to the charges, including a renewed ban on the name of one of the sexual assault victims.

The second victim, Laurie Massicotte, has waived the right to have her name withheld, Mr. Burgess told the court.

Seated in the jury box was Belleville Police Chief Cory McMullan, alongside OPP Detective Inspector Chris Nicholas, who headed the eight-month investigation.

Col. Williams' formal plea and sentencing are set to begin Oct. 18. The sentencing process is expected to last four days, and will encompass numerous victim-impact statements.

He faces an automatic sentence of life in prison with no possibility for parole for at least 25 years. He will also have to repay to the military the roughly $12,000 per month he has been receiving in salary since his arrest in February.

He will plead guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of sexual assault and forcible confinement and a string of 82 bizarre break-ins.

Col. Williams, 47, a decorated Air Force career soldier joined the military in 1987 and until his arrest was the commander of 8 Wing/CFB Trenton, the sprawling air base just west of Belleville. He had held the post for just over seven months.

Pulled over and questioned Feb. 4 at a police roadblock set up near the rural home of his second alleged murder victim, Jessica Lloyd, he was placed under surveillance and three days later was summoned to the main Ontario Provincial Police detachment in Ottawa and interrogated.

The same evening, after just a few hours of questioning, he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of sexual assault and forcible confinement, dispatching waves of horror and disbelief through the armed forces and the rest of the country.

What had cracked the case, in large part, was a distinctive tire track found in snow behind Ms. Lloyd's home.

Further shock ensued in April when Col. Williams was charged with a total of 82 residential break-ins, all involving the theft or attempted theft of women's lingerie. Almost all the burglaries took place near the two homes he shared with his longtime wife, Mary-Elizabeth Harriman, in Ottawa and in the small village of Tweed, north of Trenton.

Police who searched the couple's newly built house in the trendy Ottawa neighbourhood of Westboro found hundreds of pieces of women's underclothing catalogued and concealed in the garage.

Few of the break-ins had been reported.

Outside court on Thursday, Ms. Lloyd's older brother, Andy, said he was content with the outcome and relieved that the process is nearing its end.

Many of Ms. Lloyd's relatives crowded the courtroom. Her mother Roxanne clutched a large, framed photograph of her slain daughter.

Since shortly after his arrest the former commander has been detained at the Quinte Detention Centre in Napanee, where he is being held in segregation and under close watch, following an abortive suicide bid. He also staged a short-lived hunger strike.

During the past eight months, he has appeared in court via videolink half a dozen times.

The murder charges stem from the November killing of Corporal Marie-France Comeau, 38, a Trenton air attendant under his command, and the January slaying of Ms. Lloyd, 27, who worked for a Napanee school-bus company and lived on Hwy. 37, which links Belleville and Tweed.

Corp. Comeau's badly beaten body was discovered at her home in Brighton, close to Trenton, while that of Ms. Lloyd was found in thick woods outside Tweed.

Both victims were asphyxiated.

The sexual-assault charges derive from twin home invasions, both in September, 2009, and both close to Col. Williams's lakeside cottage in Tweed.

In each instance the sleeping women were attacked by a nighttime intruder who struck them, blindfolded them and tied them to chairs. Their clothing was then cut from them and they were photographed in the nude, ordeals that lasted hours.

As with the two murder victims, both women were home alone at the time, aside from a weeks-old baby who slept through the first attack. Both were able to struggle free and call police.

Police issued no public announcement about the first home invasion, but the second one, 13 days later, prompted a public alert and stirred widespread alarm in Tweed.

Col. Williams was never questioned about either attack. Instead, police suspicion fell upon his next-door neighbour, Larry Jones, who became a local pariah until Col. Williams was arrested four months later.

All the offences Col. Williams is accused of occurred during the relatively short span of less than 2 1/2 years, commencing in September, 2007, when the first burglary took place, and Jan. 28 of this year, when Ms. Lloyd disappeared overnight from her home.

No additional charges are immediately anticipated.

After Col. Williams was arrested and charged in February, the OPP investigation based in Smiths Falls, Ont., was flooded with “cold case” inquiries from police elsewhere in the country.

Most came from jurisdictions where he had served during his steady upward march through the Air Force ranks, notably Halifax and the Winnipeg area. But other unresolved murders in

Toronto and even the United States, where his father lives in North Carolina, also drew fresh scrutiny.

From the outset, however, police sources familiar with the investigation said they believed Col. Williams had provided a full confession. After the short hearing, Det. Insp. Nicholas said that still appears to be the case and that no further crimes are currently under investigation.

On hold, meanwhile, pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings, is a $2.4-million civil action launched by the first woman Col. Williams is accused of sexually assaulting.

A few weeks after his arrest, he and his wife, Ms. Harriman, divided up their chief assets in an arrangement that saw him become the sole owner of the cottage in Tweed, while she gained control of the much more valuable home in Ottawa.

The lawsuit alleges that the swap was a ruse designed to put the Westboro home, worth around $800,000, beyond the reach of any civil claim for compensation. In her statement of defence Ms. Harriman, an executive with the Ottawa-based Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, has denied the accusation.

Her husband has filed no statement of defence but has said he intends to do so.

The couple have no children.

Also, one of the assault victim has given a long interview on her experience. It's pretty long and somewhat disturbing so I won't post it, but if you want you can read it here:

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/10/05/surviving-colonel-williams/

[Ancalagon]

The details of his crimes have been read in court the last 2 days.

They are absolutely appalling. He recorded *everything* - he has photos of his every crime. He catalogued the lingerie he stole from women. Sometimes he left them notes (one mocking a woman for her sex toys). He took photos of himself masturbating while wearing said lingerie - and some of his targets were as young as 12. He took *video footage* of his two murders - murders preceded by bondage, photography and rapes. One of his victim resisted him fiercely, the other complied in the hope of mercy. It made no difference - in the end both pleaded for their lives, and both died.

I don't know what to feel or think. I'm astonished the Crown has released so much details (rather - the journalists are releasing a part of those details, and the crown is only releasing a part of the total evidence, so we the public are seeing a cut of a cut). Thankfully, the photos and videos of the rapes and murders were not released. I do know that it makes me feel nauseous and it's hitting harder because of the fetish/bondage aspect.

The link, for those who want to read it, is here, but I don't recommend that most people look at it.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/col-williamss-murder-victims-pleaded-for-their-lives-before-death/article1763300/

[Kyle Voltti]

it's a shame but this stuff needs to be put into the record. I'm just glad that (at least as far as i notice) that news media hasn't been trying to drag out the more selacios details.

[Freedom Canadian]

I'm just glad that (at least as far as i notice) that news media hasn't been trying to drag out the more selacios details.

They did release pictures of him dressed in the women's underwear he stole.

[Brynja]

Oh my god...this is awful. I t hink I need to go throw up

[Name Lips]

I can't believe he documented it all. Pictures of everything. Videos of everything. My god... that much proof, hidden away, and nobody knowing about it.

MAJOR KUDOS to the police who tracked him down. Those were some pretty slim leads -- a bootprint and some tire tracks. But it was enough. Their efforts in pursuing every tiny lead are what prevented future murders.

[Brynja]

Yeah. Though it is cold comfort for the lady that survived.

[Ancalagon]

That guy wasn't stopping. One house he "visited" 9 times...

[Hatter]

Deeply disturbing. They need to throw away the key when they lock this guy up.

[Name Lips]

I do know that it makes me feel nauseous and it's hitting harder because of the fetish/bondage aspect.

To be brutally honest my friend... these sorts of cases make up the majority of the times the average person is exposed to fetishism. If you wonder about the intolerance and prejudice, it's because people worry that accepting fetishists or anything else they consider "sexually deviant" is equivalent to accepting a pool of potential serial killers and child rapists. They don't have separate boxes to put each category in -- you're either in the "danger" category or in the "normal and expected" category.

I was reading the comments readers posted for this story (on MSNBC) and one person said, "Expect to see this same thing happening in the USA now that they're letting gays in the military."

That's the mentality you're up against.