GUILTY Canada - Marie-France Comeau, 37, & Jessica Lloyd, 27, slain, Ont, 2009 & 2010 - #3

[Hazel]

Case keeps growing against top airman

82 new charges. Police say Russell Williams hit Orléans homes -- and dozens of others in Eastern Ontario -- in his quest for lingerie and potential victims
April 30, 2010 1:09 PM

It was the one house where the burglar literally covered his tracks in the snowy backyard in December 2008, putting on the vacationing homeowner's boots to stomp over his own footprints before going back in through the patio door and searching high and low for women's lingerie.

He finally found it, tucked away in the upper shelf of a closet in the spare bedroom. He walked right past money and jewelry and then tried, unsuccessfully, to hack into the home computer.

He left through the front door and, when the neighbours saw it wide open the next day, they called police.

Other times, he would be seen alone, jogging. Police say he was casing his targets, all women.

They say the intruder never left fingerprints and stole women's lingerie exclusively.

In a lengthy interview on a Sunday in February at Ottawa police headquarters, Williams allegedly directed detectives to so-called trophies at his new home at 473 Edison Ave. in Westboro, including photographic images and more than 500 pairs of women's underwear taken in break-ins.

In one Orléans home, the intruder took undergarments not only from a mother's bedroom, but also from her daughter's. In that home, the intruder collected all the photographs in the teenager's room and placed them on her bed, spreading them out like a deck of cards.

The rash of lingerie break-ins in 2008 left the neighbourhood on edge. Many installed surveillance systems and Ottawa police launched an undercover operation with the hopes of catching the burglar.

Detectives feared the crimes could escalate specifically because of their sexual overtones. They deployed undercover officers in unmarked cars and had officers posing as late-night strollers.

The intruder they were looking for always popped back or side windows to get in. And, as if the homes had been cased, the crimes occurred at night when the women were away.

O'Keeffe said he's visited Williams three times and plans to ask him about the new charges. He said it was difficult to get Williams to open up about anything.

"(I talk to him) through very artificial means. It's like talking through a brick wall. It's very secluded and time is a restriction," said O'Keeffe. "He's under guard. He's in prison ... I mean it's not designed for fun time. It's cold and I just want to get out of there when I'm in there myself."

RS&BBM

read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Case+keeps+growing+against+airman/2968899/story.html#ixzz0mcJP1zmf

 

[flipflop]

Lots of new articles out there! I think I will stop surfing! The more I findl, the creepier this guy gets.

A slew of new charges against Col. Russell Williams paint a portrait of a predator who repeatedly broke into the homes of neighbours and apparently stalked one of the women he’s accused of killing. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/802107--police-paint-portrait-of-a-chilling-stalker?bn=1

**which victim did he stalk?????

The alleged break-ins involved incredible stealth: Several of the victims told The Star they did not know their homes had been broken into until police recently notified them
He is also charged with breaking into one home near his Tweed cottage nine times

** creepy, he really must have felt unstoppable!!! No outcry of warnings from LE were ever issued and now some homes didn't even realize they were broken into!!!!

The woman didn’t call police until much later, when she saw her backyard window was missing its screen. They told her they were investigating a series of similar break-ins in the neighbourhood, where only women’s underwear and sex toys were stolen

**Perhaps if the warning was put out, ppl would have been on the lookout and this woman would have noticed it sooner. This is also the first that I have heard about sex toys.


It was the one house where the burglar literally covered his tracks in the snowy backyard in December 2008, putting on the vacationing homeowner's boots to stomp over his own footprints before going back in through the patio door and searching high and low for women's lingerie

**he really did "cover his tracks" except his tire tracks...Thanks GOD!

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Case+keeps+growing+against+airman/2968899/story.html#ixzz0mcVvHCMy

 

[Hazel]

I know Flipflop, this is so unbelievable! Looking at the maps I now understand what LE meant by "geography", but I cannot comprehend why they only started connecting the dots after JL disappeared. I have this awful feeling that someone could have had an inkling as to who was responsible for all these B&Es, but felt they didn't have much of a case considering the "status" of this person.
Why did they suspect Mr Jones? Could it be because the victim was asked if she heard a car engine after the "intruder" left, and she said Nope! So they knew the perp had left on foot, and might be someone living closeby? They never even interviewed RW, just to ask him if he had seen or heard something??? I sure hope I'm wrong, and it's just my "suspicious mind" in overtime.

 

[flipflop]

I know Flipflop, this is so unbelievable! Looking at the maps I now understand what LE meant by "geography", but I cannot comprehend why they only started connecting the dots after JL disappeared. I have this awful feeling that someone could have had an inkling as to who was responsible for all these B&Es, but felt they didn't have much of a case considering the "status" of this person.
Why did they suspect Mr Jones? Could it be because the victim was asked if she heard a car engine after the "intruder" left, and she said Nope! So they knew the perp had left on foot, and might be someone living closeby? They never even interviewed RW, just to ask him if he had seen or heard something??? I sure hope I'm wrong, and it's just my "suspicious mind" in overtime.

We're on the same thought path Hazel. I wonder how many LE thought it was RW, but his status scared them off. Of course, no one will ever admit that now! And yes why was just Mr Jones a suspect, what about the rest of the males in the neighbourhood...

 

[Hazel]

Lots of new articles out there! I think I will stop surfing! The more I findl, the creepier this guy gets.

A slew of new charges against Col. Russell Williams paint a portrait of a predator who repeatedly broke into the homes of neighbours and apparently stalked one of the women he’s accused of killing. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/802107--police-paint-portrait-of-a-chilling-stalker?bn=1
**which victim did he stalk?????
I believe they are refering to MFComeau. He had allegedly broken into her home 8 days before she was murdered.

They told her they were investigating a series of similar break-ins in the neighbourhood, where only women’s underwear and sex toys were stolen
**Perhaps if the warning was put out, ppl would have been on the lookout and this woman would have noticed it sooner. This is also the first that I have heard about sex toys.
Same here, first article I read about that. Makes you wonder why would he like to have "used" things. Yuck! He could have purchased all of that stuff himself from La Senza, La Vie en Rose or any other lingerie store and say he was buying for his wife.

It was the one house where the burglar literally covered his tracks in the snowy backyard in December 2008, putting on the vacationing homeowner's boots to stomp over his own footprints before going back in through the patio door and searching high and low for women's lingerie
**he really did "cover his tracks" except his tire tracks...Thanks GOD!
Amen!

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Case+keeps+growing+against+airman/2968899/story.html#ixzz0mcVvHCMy

rs&bbm

 

[Snoopster]

Looking at the "cluster" of B&E's and sexual assaults, it jumps out at me that the only 2 that aren't in the "clusters" were the two that were murdered. Is it possible that he went to those 2 places with intent to murder, so he picked individuals that didn't live in his neighborhood?

 

[flipflop]

Looking at the "cluster" of B&E's and sexual assaults, it jumps out at me that the only 2 that aren't in the "clusters" were the two that were murdered. Is it possible that he went to those 2 places with intent to murder, so he picked individuals that didn't live in his neighborhood?

I had noticed that as well on the maps, I have been wondering why the different location for the 2 murders. Did he do this on purpose to make it look like someone totally different from the lingerie B&E?

 

[nevinm]

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario...antic-life-of-col-david-russell-williams?bn=1

"By the time Col. David Russell Williams became boss of Canada’s largest air force base, police allege he had already broken into his neighbours’ houses 58 times."

 

[flipflop]

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario...antic-life-of-col-david-russell-williams?bn=1

"By the time Col. David Russell Williams became boss of Canada’s largest air force base, police allege he had already broken into his neighbours’ houses 58 times."

Just putting this out there, as a few ppl were looking for specific dates:

From May 9, 2008, to June 19, 2009, police allege Williams was behind 32 break-ins. (Ottawa)


a pattern of breaking into homes — usually on Fridays and Saturdays — near his cottage in Tweed


http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario...antic-life-of-col-david-russell-williams?bn=1

 

[Pink Panther]

It's extremely unlikely that he just started up his activities out-of-the-blue in 2006/2007. If they are currently trying to come to an agreement, I hope that they take their time and hold off concluding it until they have investigated ALL avenues of potential crimes he may have committed dating back to his early adulthood!

MOO

 

[antiquegirl]

It's extremely unlikely that he just started up his activities out-of-the-blue in 2006/2007. If they are currently trying to come to an agreement, I hope that they take their time and hold off concluding it until they have investigated ALL avenues of potential crimes he may have committed dating back to his early adulthood!

MOO

If RW pleads, or is found, guilty, the Crown already has enough to put him away for the maximum 25 year sentence. While LE may or may not stop investigating B & Es, there is no statute of limitations on murder and they will continue to investigate unsolved cases. If any can be linked to RW, there will be further charges. Even after he's convicted and sentenced, he can still be charged with more crimes. LE doesn't just give up on unsolved murders.

 

[Pink Panther]

If RW pleads, or is found, guilty, the Crown already has enough to put him away for the maximum 25 year sentence. While LE may or may not stop investigating B & Es, there is no statute of limitations on murder and they will continue to investigate unsolved cases. If any can be linked to RW, there will be further charges. Even after he's convicted and sentenced, he can still be charged with more crimes. LE doesn't just give up on unsolved murders.

Agreed. However, if they are currently working out a plea and if they already have some sort of evidence regarding other crimes, it is more likely that he will be willing to share information now that there may be something to be gained than later when all is said and done.

MOO

 

[Hazel]

Hazel, I came across some more cases. This one you've already read:

June 4, 2008: Half-naked woman found slain near a bike bath in Britannia Park, Ottawa; age 39.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/04/12/ottawa-kosmack-reward-slaying.html (see sidebar articles)
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=bfc13ea1-9b6a-489c-80a4-22c2c5509991

I initially mistook that incident for this one:

May 4, 2008: Woman, about 30, found naked and injured in Carlington Park.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=7733a3bc-540d-4041-b250-cff0eb9786c6&k=41960

There you have it. Exactly one month apart, both in parks. Then on March 3, 2010, this incident in Gatineau:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Woman+critically+burned+Gatineau+Park+mystery/2634227/story.html

That particular time of the month is rather dangerous for women who enter parks anywhere near Ottawa. I'm not suggesting that all murder cases everywhere are related. Parks are dangerous. Strangely enough, the victim in this case in Etobicoke is 28. Is this some kind of target age?

http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/...r-death-in-etobicoke-park-a-true-mystery.aspx

Heard about the first 3 cases; haven't heard about the Etobicoke one.

I posted about the Gatineau case in Lachlan's thread, when the unidentified body was found where the Gatineau River and Ottawa River meet.

Pamela Kosmack was found not too far from RW's new Westboro home (but he had not purchased that property at the time, so he must have been living in Orleans when Pamela was murdered). Somehow, I don't think it is his doing, but I could be totally wrong.
LE said they believe Pamela was killed where she was found, which is not that far from where she lived.

Now, the Carlington case is the one I was referring to in my post in RW's thread. That one IMHO looks more like something RW could have done. So far, there hasn't been any mention of that incident in the media in relation to him.
AFAIK, there hasn't been any updates on the recovery of the victim, and if she eventually remembered what had happened or if she had been identified, since she couldn't remember anything at the time.

 

[dotr]

Posted 14 hours ago
http://www.aolnews.com/topic/russell-williams/?topicid=3038304949

 

[Summersolstice]

Heard about the first 3 cases; haven't heard about the Etobicoke one.

I posted about the Gatineau case in Lachlan's thread, when the unidentified body was found where the Gatineau River and Ottawa River meet.

Pamela Kosmack was found not too far from RW's new Westboro home (but he had not purchased that property at the time, so he must have been living in Orleans when Pamela was murdered). Somehow, I don't think it is his doing, but I could be totally wrong.
LE said they believe Pamela was killed where she was found, which is not that far from where she lived.

Now, the Carlington case is the one I was referring to in my post in RW's thread. That one IMHO looks more like something RW could have done. So far, there hasn't been any mention of that incident in the media in relation to him.
AFAIK, there hasn't been any updates on the recovery of the victim, and if she eventually remembered what had happened or if she had been identified, since she couldn't remember anything at the time.

I actually posted this in the JL thread for a reason, and not here. The Etobicoke case occurred very recently.

I was looking at a pattern of women being badly beaten/murdered and dumped in parks. In JL's case, she was found at a golf course. I wonder if there is some similarity between the cases above and the way JL was found? I don't believe this information is public knowledge.

In one of the cases above, mention was made of a pair of reading glasses being found nearby, and that the person who used them would have been a man in his 40s. That's not rocket science -- the 40s are when many people need reading glasses. But how did they know these belonged to a man? Style alone is not always an indicator. Was there DNA on the glasses? Were the glasses prescription? Etc.

Location of bodies/survivors, and their state of attire, etc. might be relevant. We are not learning much about the state of attire of the victims found recently. Could the bodies being found in waterways have entered the water in parks? And another thing: how long are training runs for marathons?

Is there any relevance in the age of about 28 (not all victims are this age)? Is there a general profile of female victims that makes this age important, or is it victim specific?

 

[Summersolstice]

If RW pleads, or is found, guilty, the Crown already has enough to put him away for the maximum 25 year sentence. While LE may or may not stop investigating B & Es, there is no statute of limitations on murder and they will continue to investigate unsolved cases. If any can be linked to RW, there will be further charges. Even after he's convicted and sentenced, he can still be charged with more crimes. LE doesn't just give up on unsolved murders.

Life sentence is a minimum 25 years without eligibility for parole. Time served in custody before a conviction counts as double time served in sentencing. Then there is the Faint Hope Clause.

Could a military person who is found guilty of multiple murder charges and other major crimes against persons in a civilian court work out a transfer to a military prison?

 

[dotr]

Today.1 hour ago. People in Centre Hastings deserve answers on Williams investigation

http://www.aolnews.com/topic/russell-williams/?topicid=3038304949
Bradley is curious how someone, alleged to be Williams, managed to move around and commit so many offences undetected. She said the latest bombshell report makes her think that investigators have "jsut started to scratch the surface."

 

[nobodyzgirl]

Life sentence is a minimum 25 years without eligibility for parole. Time served in custody before a conviction counts as double time served in sentencing. Then there is the Faint Hope Clause.

Could a military person who is found guilty of multiple murder charges and other major crimes against persons in a civilian court work out a transfer to a military prison?

BBM:

He could not get a transfer, the civilian justice system has jurisdiction over the military. Also, serious offenders in the military with sentences longer than 2 years are transferred to the Canadian federal prison system after serving 729 days in a military prison, to complete their sentence. He's also been relieved of his duties and if he is convicted, he will be discharged from the military anyway, so there would be no way for him to apply for a transfer (even if it was possible, which it's not).

I think that the "time served" rule has recently been changed and that the courts may only count on a one-for-one basis, unless “the circumstances justify” granting the prisoner 1 1/2 days for every day in custody

3. Subsection 719(3) of the [Criminal Code] is replaced by the following:

(3) In determining the sentence to be imposed on a person convicted of an offence, a court may take into account any time spent in custody by the person as a result of the offence but the court shall limit any credit for that time to a maximum of one day for each day spent in custody.

The government is in the process of repealing the "faint hope clause", so by the time RW is even eligible to apply it will no longer exist.

 

[antiquegirl]

BBM:

He could not get a transfer, the civilian justice system has jurisdiction over the military. Also, serious offenders in the military with sentences longer than 2 years are transferred to the Canadian federal prison system after serving 729 days in a military prison, to complete their sentence. He's also been relieved of his duties and if he is convicted, he will be discharged from the military anyway, so there would be no way for him to apply for a transfer (even if it was possible, which it's not).

I think that the "time served" rule has recently been changed and that the courts may only count on a one-for-one basis, unless “the circumstances justify” granting the prisoner 1 1/2 days for every day in custody

The government is in the process of repealing the "faint hope clause", so by the time RW is even eligible to apply it will no longer exist.

Thanks so much, NBG, for your always helpful professional input.

If convicted, RW would likely get the 25 year maximum sentence for each murder. In Canada, these are almost always served concurrently, but there's still the slight possibility that they could be served consecutively - meaning a total of 50 years for the two charges.

And then, is it not possible that he will be designated a "dangerous offender", as was PB? With the multitude of charges against him now, and probably more to come, I think that this could happen. If I understand this correctly, all he would need would be one more conviction of a violent or sexual offence (unless some or all of the 82 current charges already qualify for that category). If he gets this designation, he may be "subjected to an indeterminate prison sentence".

"Under current legislation, the Crown must prove that the individual qualifies as a dangerous offender; the proposed amendment would reverse the onus for individuals convicted of three violent offences– they would have to prove that despite the three convictions, they do not qualify as dangerous offenders."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_offender

 

[nobodyzgirl]

Thanks so much, NBG, for your always helpful professional input.

If convicted, RW would likely get the 25 year maximum sentence for each murder. In Canada, these are almost always served concurrently, but there's still the slight possibility that they could be served consecutively - meaning a total of 50 years for the two charges.

And then, is it not possible that he will be designated a "dangerous offender", as was PB? With the multitude of charges against him now, and probably more to come, I think that this could happen. If I understand this correctly, all he would need would be one more conviction of a violent or sexual offence (unless some or all of the 82 current charges already qualify for that category). If he gets this designation, he may be "subjected to an indeterminate prison sentence".

"Under current legislation, the Crown must prove that the individual qualifies as a dangerous offender; the proposed amendment would reverse the onus for individuals convicted of three violent offences– they would have to prove that despite the three convictions, they do not qualify as dangerous offenders."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_offender

I think the Crown should be able to prove he's a violent offender. Who knows, maybe he'll be housed beside his old pal PB! LOL