He was also a decorated military pilot who had flown Canadian Forces VIP aircraft for dignitaries and heads of state. In 2009, his perversions escalated from fetish-motivated burglaries to sexual assaults and murders, when Marie-France Comeau, a 37-year-old military flight attendant, was found dead inside her home. After being returned to the Forces, his uniform was burned, his medals were cut into pieces, and his commission scroll (the instrument of his commission) was shredded; these actions being similar to a military degradation. commander Col. Russell Williams and his wife. The Star. Williams indulged his fetish for women's and girl's lingerie by taking thousands of pornographic photographs of himself wearing their stolen underwear - and sometimes masturbating for the camera - before his sexual obsession escalated to sex assault and murder, court heard Monday. This photo gallery contains images that may be disturbing to some readers. His criminal proceedings were swift (just eight months after his arrest, Williams pleaded guilty to 88 charges and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years), but the ensuing civil lawsuits have unfolded at a much slower pace. Often, he pretended to have car trouble while wearing a fake cast. (Jin Rankin/Toronto Star) Williams is shown in this image from video provided by Ontario Provincial Court, from his interrogation. Williams indulged his fetish for women's and girl's lingerie by taking thousands of pornographic photographs of himself wearing their stolen underwear - and sometimes masturbating for the camera. Williams completed his final two years of high school as a boarding student at Upper Canada College while his parents were in South Korea. Instead, he felt an urge to steal womens underwear, from girls as young as nine years old. He killed 38-year-old Cpl. But as consumed as Williams was with chronicling his crimes and collecting his perverse trophies, the evidence disclosed at his 2010 sentencing hearing suggests he was equally careful about keeping his alter ego a secret from his spouse. Im struggling with how upset my wife is right now, Williams told Det.-Sgt. From his solitary prison cell in rural Quebec, serial killer and ex-colonel Russell Williams has sold his infamous cottage for $165,000, a . The twisted killer, who had an alter ego as Pogo the Clown, was six years into his killing spree when this photo was taken in May 1978. Season 4 of the documentary television series I Survived (originally aired on September 30, 2012) featured one of Williams' victims recounting her story of Williams attacking her in her home. We have many [11][14][15] Williams then studied economics and political science at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1986. By night, he broke into homes, taking pictures of himself modeling the bras and panties of little girls. I felt safe with him.[6]. In 2009, Yuri Chikatilo was arrested for attempted murder and thrown behind bars, too. His decision does not prohibit victims from pursuing Williamss military pension as part of a future Charter challenge. In late January 2010, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) discovered evidence that led them to suspect Williams' involvement in the disappearance and death of Jessica Lloyd, and suspected links to two other crimes that had been committed in close proximity to other locations near Williams' previous home in Tweed, Ontario. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. The Canadian Forces announced that day that an interim commander would soon be appointed to replace him (Dave Cochrane took over 11 days later), and removed his biography from the Department of National Defence website the following day. [65], In December 2010, Williams' wife began the process of filing for divorce, together with a request to have any of her financial and medical information sealed by the court. Serial killers are capable of disguising themselves as normal citizens in society. Exactly what prompted this latest allegation against Williamss wife is not clear, especially after so much time has passed. Now 56, Harriman has never spoken publicly about her husband or his crimes, and, fair or not, her silence has fuelled much speculation about their marriageand how anyone in her position could be so oblivious. John Russell , 1st Earl Russell, English politician, 1857. After (Jin Rankin/Toronto Star) Williams is shown in this image from video provided by Ontario Provincial Court, from his interrogation by police shown Oct. 20, 2010 in a Belleville, Ont. [59], On June 1, 1991, Williams married Mary Elizabeth Harriman, who is an associate director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Although Williams is the primary defendant in Massicottes $7-million lawsuit, Harriman is accused of participating in a fraudulent conveyance aimed at protecting her partners assets from potential litigation. Two other multi-million-dollar lawsuitsone filed by Jane Doe, Williamss first sexual assault victim; the other by the family of Jessica Lloyd, who was abducted from her Belleville home and strangled inside the cottagecontain identical allegations: that the post-arrest land transfer, clearly suspicious and carried out in secret, should be reversed. Grilled for hours by the Ontario Provincial Police on Feb. 7, 2010and told that officers were currently searching his Ottawa residencethe killer finally buckled. If the amendment is allowed, they argued, it should be promptly struck from the claim as frivolous, vexatious, and an abuse of process.. Laurie Massicotte, who was ambushed in her living room and held captive at knifepoint just weeks before Williams committed his first murder, has won the right to amend a lawsuit she first filed in 2011 against the disgraced military officer and his long-time spouse. [31][32][33][34], He then identified on a map where he dumped Lloyd's body. Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. [W]hen not extremely busy in the workplace, she has found herself preoccupied with the victims of her husband, and their relatives, her psychiatrist wrote. Under current law, Williamss victims have no right to demand his military pension, reported to be $60,000 a year.). Despite suffering from chronic impotence, Chikatilo married his wife, Feodosia, and they had two childrena daughter, Lyudmila, and a son, Yuriconceived very likely though manual methods. Then, a week before Christmas 1986, he was arrested as he pulled into the driveway of his home. According to reports, the women had been bound in their homes and Williams had taken photos of them. He sneaked into her bedroom when the whole family was out of town, dressed in their 12-year-old daughters underwear, masturbated, stole six pairs as mementos and left a message on her computer saying: "Merci" (Thank you in French). For Justice James, the issue hinged on a critical question of law: what happens if a land transfer is declared fraudulent? He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in 2010 Credit: Reuters 9 Williams. Harriman opposed the amendment request, arguing that the court materials filed to date introduce no evidence whatsoever of the scandalous allegations now being made. Massicotte issued her original statement of claim more than two years ago, her lawyers noted, but only now is she accusing Harriman of having prior knowledge of her husbands offences. Police recovered photos from Col. Williams's computer of Ms. Massicotte posing for him. sure the answers The depraved killer hid the body and returned later to abuse the corpse. Defence Minister Peter MacKay, right, Mary Elizabeth Harriman was married to her husband, Russell Williams, for 19 years. My interest is in making my wifes life a little easier., After he confessed, Williams wrote a note to his Dearest Mary Elizabeth, expressing his affection and regret. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years before parole eligibility. In hindsight, the proof was all there, just waiting to be discovered. [45] Williams' lawyer stated then that his client would plead guilty to all charges filed against him. My interest is in making my wifes life a little easier.. But never before has anyone connected to the casepolice, prosecutors, or other victimspublicly accused Williamss wife of knowing he was a serial sexual predator. This photo of Rodney The Dating Game Killer Alcala with a young girl sitting on his knee is even more chilling when you realize that her identity is still unknown. Over the next 10 hours, Williams gave a detailed confession of the sexual assault and murder of Lloyd, and also the sexual assault and murder of Corporal Marie-France Comeau and at least two other cases initially. [42][43], Williams appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville, Ontario, via video link from the Quinte Detention Centre on July 22, 2010, where his next court appearance was set for August 26. When Rader couldnt understand why his family would not visit him in prison, daughter Kerri wrote to him, You have had these secrets, this double life for 30 years; we have only had knowledge of it for three months. Despite the mountains of evidence found inside the family's home and cottage, Russell Williams said he took great pains to hide his deviant behavior. Col. Russell Williams, centre, commander of CFB Trenton, with To keep creating Chikatilo said, I am a mistake of nature, a mad beast.[4]. The former commander of CFB Trenton, Canadas largest and busiest air force base, Williams confessed four years ago to a vile crime spree that shocked the country: two horrific murders, two home-invasion sexual assaults, and dozens of fetish burglaries targeting womens lingerie. Most of the assaults in Ottawa occurred at homes within walking distance of his new home where he lived with his wife. [20] In January 2009, he was posted to the Canadian Forces Language School in Gatineau, Quebec, for a six-month period of French language training, during which he was promoted to colonel by recommendation of the now-retired Watt. For the majority of them, its only a matter of time before they make a mistake and are caught. Despite admitting that he assaulted Massicotte, the ex-colonel says she is not entitled to financial damagesand that she should have to pay his legal costs incurred on the file. 2010 in a Belleville, Ont. [20], He earned a Master of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada in 2004 with a 55-page thesis that supported pre-emptive war in Iraq, and in June 2004, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and the following month, he was appointed commanding officer of 437 Transport Squadron at CFB Trenton, Ontario, a post he held for two years. Mary Elizabeth Harriman was dealt another blow when she was denied a request to keep the details of her divorce proceedings private. [18][35][37] Williams was also charged in the death of Corporal Marie-France Comeau, a 37-year-old military traffic technician based at CFB Trenton, who had been found dead inside her home in late November 2009. He had taken thousands of pictures of his crimes, and had kept the photos on his computer. David Russell Williams [1] (born March 7, 1963) is a convicted British-born Canadian felon and former Air Force officer. The photograph was incidental to the subject matter of the book, but the image was felt to be offensive. He is currently serving a life without the possibility of parole for 25 years for two murders, committed in November 2009 and January 2010. Psychiatrist Dorothy Lewis later described this as probably the pivotal time in his development. The girl who broke his heart had brown hair, parted in the middle. Harriman, 56, has never spoken publicly about her notorious husband, and fair or not, her silence has fueled endless speculation about their marriageand how anyone in her position could be so oblivious. Crime scene tape, since removed, surrounds 62 Cosy Cove Lane, the The darkest aspects of humanlifeandnature. 18, 2010. Williams was driving his Nissan Pathfinder that dayrather than the BMW he usually droveand an officer noticed the resemblance of his tire treads. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [14][18][35][36], Along with the murder charges, Williams was charged with breaking and entering, forcible confinement, and the sexual assault of two other women in connection with two separate home invasions near Tweed, Ontario, in September 2009. If I suspected something wrong, of course, I would divorce with him. plans and enthusiasm He enjoyed summer barbecues by the pool and volunteered as an usher at mass every Sunday. The young couple went to the police, and the Moors Murderers reign of terror finally came to an end. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help In 1965, 17-year-old Smith witnessed the murder of Brady and Myra Hindleys final victim, 17-year-old Edward Evans. In 2006, Kuklinski died behind bars at age 70 in a secure wing at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. He also kept newspaper clippings of photographs of his victims. Early the next morning, Williams led investigators to the woman's body in a secluded area on Cary Road, 13 minutes away from where he lived. [12][18] He joined the Canadian Forces in 1987, received his flying wings in 1990, and was posted to 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School, based at CFB Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, where he served for two years as an instructor. [68], A television movie adaptation of the Williams case, An Officer and a Murderer, with American actor Gary Cole in the lead role, premiered on the Lifetime Network in the United States on July 21, 2012. Williams told police that while he did ask himself why he raped and killed women, he could never come up with an answer and he was "pretty Despite admitting that he assaulted her, the ex-commander says she is not entitled to financial damagesand that she should have to pay his legal costs incurred on the file. She is a private individual and she does need calm, peace and quiet in order to continue functioning normally. while he did ask A bag beside their bed contained a black skull cap. By then, Williams had been posted to the Directorate of Air Requirements at the National Defence Headquarters. As part of a domestic contract signed six weeks after Williamss arrest, Harriman paid $62,000 in cash and assumed the remaining mortgage on the Ottawa townhouse, while he took sole possession of the cottage, purchased a few years earlier for $178,000. While the suggestion that Ms. Harriman was aware of Williamss conduct may seem outrageous and far-fetched, the plaintiffs are entitled to endeavour to prove these allegations as a basis for an award of punitive damages, James wrote in his seven-page decision, dated April 28. He photographed Liane Leedom in 1979 when she was 17 years old. After the attack, the colonel photographed himself in his disguise - a black skull cap and a pair of Ms.. I am so very sorry for having hurt you like this, he wrote. Russell Williams was a model military officer, described by his co-workers as an elite pilot and shining bright star of the Canadian army. But it also revealedto the shock of manythat Harriman continued to visit her disgraced husband in prison after his guilty plea, with the most recent confirmed visit occurring in March 2011. The same year, Williams married Mary Elizabeth Harriman with whom he had four healthy children. [21][35][38], A week after his arrest, investigators reported that, along with hidden keepsakes and other evidence they had found in his home, they had matched a print from one of the homicide scenes to his boot. commander Col. Russell Williams and his However, Laurie Massicotte, who was sexually assaulted by Williams, contends Mary "was aware" of her husband's deviant behavior and failed to "report that conduct to police." Williams was born in England but his family immigrated to Canada when he was four. The Moors murderers were British serial killing duo Ian Brady and Myra Hindley who killed five children between 1963 and 1965.