Russell Williams

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Colonel Russell Williams (* 7. March 1963 in Bromsgrove , Worcestershire , England ) is a Canadian murderer and former officer of the Air Force. Until his arrest in February 2010, he was the commandant of Canadian Forces Base Trenton , Canada's main air force base , and served as a pilot for senior government officials.

Military career

After graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in economics and politics , he joined the Canadian Air Force in 1987 , where he completed his pilot training until 1990. He then worked as an instructor at the Aviation School in Portage La Prairie until 1992 , before serving as a pilot in the 434th Combat Support Squadron and the 412th Transport Squadron until 1999 . In November 1999 he was promoted to major and became head of training for pilots on multi-engine aircraft. From August 2003 to June 2004 he obtained a Master of Defense degree at the Kingston Military Academy (Royal Military College of Canada), was then promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and entrusted with the command of the 437th Squadron of the Air Force in Trenton .

From December 2005 to June 2006 he also commanded the Camp Mirage replenishment base on the Persian Gulf , a logistics base to support the Canadian troops deployed in Afghanistan . In July he was transferred to the Directorate of Air Requirements , where he became project manager for various air transport projects for multi-engine aircraft.

From January to July 2009, he took a language course in French and was then promoted to Colonel before taking command of the Trenton Air Force Base, the busiest and most important air force base in Canada, in July 2009. Because of his experience and his high reputation, he was also used as a pilot for high-ranking politicians such as B. the Prime Minister of Canada , the Governor General of Canada and members of the British Royalty.

At the beginning of 2010, he organized the deployment of Canadian troops for earthquake relief in Haiti and held a leading position in planning military aid for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver .

Deeds

Williams, who had not previously had a criminal record or was somehow conspicuous and has been married since 1991, began his acts in 2007 with a series of apartment burglaries in which he stole women's underwear . In a short period of just two and a half years, his crimes escalated to such an extent that he committed two sexual assaults without penetration and finally two sexually motivated murders with previous rapes .

Burglary series

Williams' first act took place on September 9, 2007, when he broke into the home of friends immediately next door and stole underwear from their 12-year-old daughter's room. Over the next two and a half years, he committed a total of 82 apartment burglaries with a similar approach. Williams broke into 25 houses in Orléans, where he lived with his wife on weekends, and 23 houses in Tweed, where he lived alone during the week; sometimes he returned after burglary had already committed, in order to steal underwear again. Of the 48 victims, only 17 reported the break-in to the police; often the acts went unnoticed. Williams testified to police that he preferred women between the ages of 18 and early 30s, but in fact his victims were under 18 in 13 of the houses he broke into.

Most of the time, Williams spent several hours in someone else's house during the break-ins. He rummaged through the victims' underwear, including those already worn in laundry baskets. He photographed the beds of the girls and women, then put selected pieces of underwear on the beds to photograph them there. Williams also photographed himself naked in the rooms or in strange women's underwear. He would often lie down in the victims' beds to masturbate . For this he also use soft toys girls or sex toys for women. In one house, he rubbed his erect penis on a victim's make-up brush without stealing it. In some houses he left messages for the victims; so he typed “ Merci ” into the computer of two young victims.

When he left the houses, he took several pieces of underwear with him, as well as swimwear and sex toys. Sometimes he emptied entire drawers. At home he cataloged the stolen goods in files, identifying the owners as well. He also recorded press reports about his actions in his archive. At his house he also took other pictures of himself in his underwear. In a photo that was later found, he is wearing stolen pink panties under his military uniform .

Sexual assault

Burglary and sexual assault against an unnamed victim

On September 17, 2009, the masked Williams broke into the home of a 21-year-old woman who was alone with her eight-week-old baby because her partner was working outside. Williams first watched her while she slept, then handcuffed her, blindfolded her, and undressed her to photograph her naked for over two hours. Finally he took the woman's underwear and a baby blanket and disappeared. Williams later testified to police that he had previously seen the woman from his boat and had her eyes on her because she was "cute".

Burglary and sexual assault against Laurie Massicotte

In the early morning of September 30, 2009, Williams broke into the home of the sleeping Laurie Massicotte in Tweed. He blindfolded her, cuffed her hands and cut her top with a knife. Williams assured Massicotte that he would not rape her as long as she let him photograph her naked body. After he photographed Massicotte in sexualized poses, he left the house wearing one of her panties, which he put over his head as a mask.

Massicotte mistakenly took the perpetrator for her neighbor Larry Jones, which she also testified to the police who started the investigation against Jones.

Murders

Murder of Marie-France Comeau

The 37-year-old Marie-France Comeau worked as a flight attendant with the rank of corporal for the Canadian armed forces and as such had met Williams once. In November 2009, Williams first broke into Comeau's home in Brighton , Ontario , and photographed her military uniform and sex toys, as well as herself in her underwear.

A week later, on November 25, 2009, he returned and broke in through a cellar window in the evening to wait in the cellar for Comeau to go to bed. However, Comeau came down to the basement to look for her cat. When she found the cat, Williams stared at it, so that Comeau saw him too, but did not recognize him because of his headgear. Williams then knocked Comeau unconscious with a flashlight and tied her to a metal pillar in the basement with rope. He broke the key in the front door lock to prevent anyone from entering the house and hung a sheet over the bedroom window. Williams photographed Comeau's unconscious naked body before raping her for almost two hours, which he also videotaped. An attempt to escape from Comeau, who had since regained consciousness, and her resistance failed. Eventually Williams taped Comeau's nostrils and mouth, despite her pleading for mercy, and watched her suffocate . After her death, Williams took more photos, washed the sheets with bleach, covered Comeau's body with a blanket, took more underwear and left the house.

Comeau's partner discovered her body in the house. Upon learning of Comeau's death, Williams sent a letter of condolence to Comeau's father.

Jessica Lloyd murder

The 27-year-old student Jessica Lloyd said Williams noticed when he saw her driving by on a treadmill in her house on January 27, 2010 . When Lloyd was out of the house, Williams broke in to make sure she lived alone.

On the night of January 28th, Williams parked in a field near Lloyd's house and broke into her bedroom while she was sleeping. Lloyd woke up and Williams taped her eyes shut and cuffed her stomach. In the hallway, which he illuminated better with lamps from other rooms, he photographed Lloyd in her sleepwear. He then filmed the rape of Lloyd. Lloyd acted cooperatively in the hope that Williams would let her live. After three hours, Williams drove Lloyd to his home in Tweed in his car. There he said he had her shower and sleep for a few hours. When she had a seizure from the stress , she begged Williams to take her to the hospital. He raped her again, had her model underwear, and then apparently allowed her to leave, only to hit her on the head from behind with the flashlight, strangle her with a rope, and photograph her dead body.

First, he left her body in his garage while he flew to California on business . On February 2, he finally took the body to a wooded area where he knew his neighbor Larry Jones, who had already been investigated for Williams' earlier acts, was hunting there.

Investigation and arrest

After Jessica Lloyd was reported missing, a man turned to the police after seeing a car driving past in the field near her home, which seemed unusual. In fact, the police found tire tracks in the snow at the point described. The week after Lloyd's disappearance, police carried out an extensive inspection of motor vehicles on the freeway near Lloyd's residence. Williams, who was driving his Nissan Pathfinder , was also checked on February 4, 2010, and the similarity of his tire profile to the tracks in the snow was noted. Starting with the inspection, the police observed Williams.

On February 7, 2010, Williams was asked by police for questioning. A search of his houses began at the same time. During the ten-hour interrogation , Williams confessed to all of his deeds, described them in detail and revealed where police can find his stolen loot in the houses. The following day, he led the police to find Jessica Lloyd's body. He was on the same day in custody arrested and the judge demonstrated .

After Williams tried to commit suicide while in custody at the Quinte Detention Center in Napanee , Ontario, he was under surveillance for suicide risk from early April 2010 by locking his cell and shoving a stuffed toilet roll down his throat . Williams then went on a hunger strike on April 6, 2010 .

Criminal trial, conviction and detention

Kingston Penitentiary in Kingston, Ontario, where Williams served the first part of his detention

The criminal trial against Williams lasted four days and took place from October 18-22, 2010 in the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Belleville . Williams pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial and asked forgiveness for his actions.

On October 22, 2010, he was finally sentenced to life imprisonment for double murder , rape and 82 cases of burglary and theft . An early release from prison after 15 years, as is otherwise possible with life imprisonment in Canada (so-called faint-hope rule), is not possible with Williams because he has committed two murders. Thus, Williams can only apply for early release after 25 years in prison. The judge also ordered the destruction of Williams' car, the Nissan Pathfinder, and his camera. Williams has been registered as a sex offender since the sentence and is prohibited from possessing weapons. His DNA was in the database included the police. Williams also had to pay $ 100 for each charge , a total of $ 8,800.

Williams served the first few years of his sentence in Kingston Penitentiary , a maximum security prison in Kingston , Ontario that was closed in 2013. As part of the closure, Williams was moved to a maximum security prison in Port-Cartier , Québec .

Following the conviction, the Canadian military burned Williams' uniform and all other pieces of military equipment that had previously been seized from his home in a first-time act. The military also took back the two medals that Williams had received during his military service.

reception

The Williams story was filmed for television in 2012 under the title An Officer and a Murderer . She was also featured in the television format The Fifth Estate and in the television series Deadly Sins .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chris Cobb, Linda Nguyen: Russell Williams: Descent into depravity began in 2007. In: Ottawa Citizen. October 19, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Michael Friscolanti, Cathy Gulli: The dark, depraved side of Russell Williams revealed in court. In: Macleans. October 18, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  3. ↑ a b c d e Chris Cobb: Disgraced colonel grew increasingly brazen during descent into depravity, murder. In: Ottawa Citizen. October 19, 2019, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  4. ^ A b CBC News The Fifth Estate: Russell Williams - Above Suspicion. In: Youtube. September 5, 2014, accessed May 31, 2019 (Canadian English).
  5. ↑ a b Jim Rankin, Sandro Contenta: A harrowing account of a nighttime assault. In: The Star. October 18, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Greg McArthur, Timothy Appleby: Col. Williams's murder victims pleaded for their lives before death. In: The Globe and Mail. October 19, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  7. ↑ a b c d e Crown details what happened to Marie France Comeau on her final night. In: Durham Region. October 19, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Meghan Hurley: Live blog: Day 2 - Cpl. Marie-France Comeau begged for her life. In: Ottawa Citizen. October 19, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  9. ↑ a b 'Have a heart. I've been good '- raped corporal's last words. In: The Sydney Morning Herald. October 19, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Australian English).
  10. ↑ a b c d Christie Blatchford, Greg McArthur, Timothy Appleby, Steve Ladurantaye: Tire tracks led police to Williams. In: The Globe and Mail. February 9, 2010, accessed May 31, 2019 (Canadian English).
  11. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Crown details the events of Jessica Lloyd's death. In: Durham Region. October 19, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  12. ↑ a b c d e Chris Cobb: Court hears details of final hours of Williams' murder victims. In: Ottawa Citizen. October 19, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  13. ↑ Williams assaulted victim despite seizures. In: CTV News. October 19, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  14. ↑ Dave Seglins: Russell Williams's neighbor sues after suspected in crimes. In: CBC. November 28, 2011, Retrieved May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  15. ↑ Col. Williams' Ugly Secrets. In: The Record. October 8, 2010, accessed May 30, 2019 (Canadian English).
  16. ↑ Christie Blatchford, Timothy Appleby: The case against Colonel Williams: He took videos of the crimes. In: The Globe and Mail. October 8, 2010, accessed May 31, 2019 (Canadian English).
  17. ^ Sandro Contenta, Jim Rankin: Russell Williams confesses in gripping police tape. In: The Star. October 20, 2010, accessed May 31, 2019 (Canadian English).
  18. ^ A b Gary Dimmock, Laura Stone, Adrian Humphreys: Canadian base commander accused of murder directed police to evidence. In: Montreal Gazette. February 11, 2010, accessed May 31, 2019 (Canadian English).
  19. ^ CFB Trenton commander charged with murder. In: CBC. February 8, 2010, accessed May 31, 2019 (Canadian English).
  20. ^ Rob Tripp: Accused sex killer Col. Russell Williams attempts jailhouse suicide. In: The Globe and Mail. April 4, 2010, Retrieved May 31, 2019 (Canadian English).
  21. ↑ a b Jim Rankin: Is Russell Williams still grasping for control? In: The Star. April 18, 2010, accessed May 31, 2019 .
  22. ^ A b Col. Russell Williams pleads guilty to all 88 charges. In: CBC. October 18, 2010, accessed June 3, 2019 (Canadian English).
  23. ↑ a b c d e Williams gets 2 life terms for 'despicable crimes'. In: CBC. October 22, 2010, Retrieved June 3, 2019 (Canadian English).
  24. ↑ a b c d e Timothy Appleby: A New Kind of Monster: The Secret Life and Shocking True Crimes of an Officer ... and a Murderer . Broadway Paperbacks, New York 2011, ISBN 978-0-307-88872-3 , pp. 235 .
  25. ^ A b Russell Williams moved to Quebec prison. In: Sudbury Star. February 21, 2013, Retrieved June 3, 2019 (Canadian English).
  26. ^ A b Antonia Zerbisias: Military burns Russell Williams's uniform. In: The Star. November 19, 2010, accessed June 8, 2019 (Canadian English).
  27. ↑ a b Michael Posner: Uniform burning 'exorcism' of memory of Russell Williams. In: The Globe and Mail. November 19, 2010, accessed June 8, 2019 (Canadian English).
  28. ↑ Russell Williams in the Internet Movie Database (English)
personal data
SURNAME Williams, Russell
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian murderer and former Air Force officer
DATE OF BIRTH March 7, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Bromsgrove , Worcestershire , England