Tweet
Top Canadian commander pleads guilty to murders
AP
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
BELLEVILLE, Ontario (AP) — A commander who was a rising star in Canada's military pleaded guilty yesterday to the murders of two women, the sexual assaults of two others and dozens of breaking and entering charges in which he stole panties from the bedrooms of girls as young as 11.
Colonel Russell Williams, who once flew prime ministers and served as a pilot to Queen Elizabeth II during a 2005 visit, was the commander of Canada's largest Air Force base until he was charged earlier this year.
Roxanne Lloyd (right) carries a picture of her daughter Jessica Lloyd, while her son Andy Lloyd (left) walks next to her as they arrive at court in Belleville, Ontaria, yesterday. (Photo: AP)
He pleaded guilty yesterday to two first-degree murder charges, two sexual assaults and 82 breaking and entering charges in a Belleville, Ontario court. The 47-year-old faces an automatic sentence of life in prison with no possibility for parole for at least 25 years.
Williams was expressionless and dressed in a somber dark suit, and he kept his head down as the charges were read. The list of charges was so long that it took nearly 40 minutes to read it into the record.
"Guilty, your honor," he said after the charges were entered.
Prosecutors said Williams targeted girls and women in their teens and 20s and often photographed himself in their underwear.
At the sentencing hearing following his guilty plea, prosecutors warned the court they would be presenting evidence that was "extremely disturbing." Prosecutor Lee Burgess said much of the facts will be difficult for his victims to hear, but said it was "important to have a full account of the crimes."
Burgess began presenting photos showing Williams wearing a 12-year-old girl's cartoon-decorated underwear. Other photos showed him wearing underwear belonging to 11-year-old twins.
Many of the photos showed Williams masturbating in the stolen lingerie, either wearing it or with it draped over himself. People in the courtroom, many of them victims and their families, were in tears and appeared stunned. Roxanne Lloyd, the mother of murder victim Jessica Lloyd, clutched a frame photo of her daughter, wiping away tears as the prosecution relayed details of Williams' fetish behaviour.
In another photo, Williams appears to be wearing his military uniform with his trousers dropped to show he is wearing pink panties. Burgess also presented evidence of Williams photographing himself naked with one of his victim's sex toys.
In each photo, he looks serious, with little expression. As prosecutors presented the evidence, Williams was again void of expression, his eyes cast downward the entire time.
Authorities said Williams carefully catalogued the photos of himself in the victims' underwear with time and date stamps on hard drives in his Ottawa home. Some of the photos were panoramic shots of the victims' bedrooms. He would take the lingerie with him, keeping them in bags and boxes in his home and would sometimes burn them if he ran out of space.
AP
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
BELLEVILLE, Ontario (AP) — A commander who was a rising star in Canada's military pleaded guilty yesterday to the murders of two women, the sexual assaults of two others and dozens of breaking and entering charges in which he stole panties from the bedrooms of girls as young as 11.
Colonel Russell Williams, who once flew prime ministers and served as a pilot to Queen Elizabeth II during a 2005 visit, was the commander of Canada's largest Air Force base until he was charged earlier this year.
Roxanne Lloyd (right) carries a picture of her daughter Jessica Lloyd, while her son Andy Lloyd (left) walks next to her as they arrive at court in Belleville, Ontaria, yesterday. (Photo: AP)
He pleaded guilty yesterday to two first-degree murder charges, two sexual assaults and 82 breaking and entering charges in a Belleville, Ontario court. The 47-year-old faces an automatic sentence of life in prison with no possibility for parole for at least 25 years.
Williams was expressionless and dressed in a somber dark suit, and he kept his head down as the charges were read. The list of charges was so long that it took nearly 40 minutes to read it into the record.
"Guilty, your honor," he said after the charges were entered.
Prosecutors said Williams targeted girls and women in their teens and 20s and often photographed himself in their underwear.
At the sentencing hearing following his guilty plea, prosecutors warned the court they would be presenting evidence that was "extremely disturbing." Prosecutor Lee Burgess said much of the facts will be difficult for his victims to hear, but said it was "important to have a full account of the crimes."
Burgess began presenting photos showing Williams wearing a 12-year-old girl's cartoon-decorated underwear. Other photos showed him wearing underwear belonging to 11-year-old twins.
Many of the photos showed Williams masturbating in the stolen lingerie, either wearing it or with it draped over himself. People in the courtroom, many of them victims and their families, were in tears and appeared stunned. Roxanne Lloyd, the mother of murder victim Jessica Lloyd, clutched a frame photo of her daughter, wiping away tears as the prosecution relayed details of Williams' fetish behaviour.
In another photo, Williams appears to be wearing his military uniform with his trousers dropped to show he is wearing pink panties. Burgess also presented evidence of Williams photographing himself naked with one of his victim's sex toys.
In each photo, he looks serious, with little expression. As prosecutors presented the evidence, Williams was again void of expression, his eyes cast downward the entire time.
Authorities said Williams carefully catalogued the photos of himself in the victims' underwear with time and date stamps on hard drives in his Ottawa home. Some of the photos were panoramic shots of the victims' bedrooms. He would take the lingerie with him, keeping them in bags and boxes in his home and would sometimes burn them if he ran out of space.
Comment