From: jcs
Before his crimes came to light, Russell Williams was a highly respected military figure. He enrolled in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1987, was promoted to Captain by January 1, 1991, and subsequently to Colonel in June 2004 [00:00:00]. He was appointed commanding officer at CFB Trenton, Canada’s largest air force base, overseeing over 7,000 military personnel [00:00:24]. This position afforded him extensive psychosocial equanimity and confidence, with his title recognized and respected in all formal encounters [00:00:41].
Investigation Begins: Jessica Lloyd’s Disappearance
On January 28, 2010, Andy Lloyd received a call from his mother stating his 27-year-old sister, Jessica Lloyd, failed to show up for work and was not responding to calls or texts [00:01:42]. Andy found her isolated home on Ontario’s Highway 37 empty, with no signs of forced entry, but all her personal items, including her phone, passport, and driver’s license, were still inside [00:01:56]. Given Ottawa’s low crime rate, a missing person’s investigation was immediately launched, involving the Ottawa Police Force, over 2,000 members of the public, and a specialist search and rescue unit from the Canadian Air Force [00:02:11].
An anonymous tip on the second day of Jessica’s disappearance provided crucial information: a witness had seen an SUV parked unusually in a field near Jessica’s house around 3 AM on the night she disappeared [00:02:36]. Police canvassed the area, finding tire tracks in the field and boot prints leading to Jessica’s house [00:03:03]. Roadblocks were set up, stopping over 200 SUVs in four days [00:03:17].
Connecting Williams to Jessica Lloyd’s Case
On February 4, 2010, Colonel Russell Williams’ sports utility vehicle was stopped at a roadblock [00:03:37]. He was polite and nonchalant during the brief stop, unaware that his tires matched the tracks found near Jessica Lloyd’s house, leading to immediate police surveillance [00:03:52].
Interrogation and Confession
On February 7, Williams was called to police headquarters in Ottawa [00:04:04]. He arrived shortly before 3 PM, greeted by Detective Sergeant Jim Smith, a trained polygraph technician and senior investigator [00:04:24]. The detective immediately began to strip away Williams’ confidence by addressing him informally by his first name, setting a stage designed to increase visible signs of fabrication and decrease cognitive stamina [00:05:01].
Smith informed Williams that he was investigating four cases, including Jessica Lloyd’s disappearance [00:07:49]. These included:
- Two occurrences in September 2009 in Tweed, involving a perpetrator entering women’s houses and committing sexual acts [00:08:04].
- 34 break-ins and attempted break-ins in Orleans, Ottawa, during 2009, resulting in the theft of hundreds of intimate female garments, one rape, and one forcible confinement. These occurred not far from Williams’ home [00:08:20].
- The murder of Corporal Marie France Como in November 2009 [00:08:44]. Como, a 37-year-old military traffic technician at CFB Trenton, was raped and suffocated [00:08:57].
The detective highlighted the serious potential charges, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, break and enter with intent to commit sexual assault, and forcible confinement [00:09:24].
Williams was asked about his whereabouts and activities, providing initial alibis [00:11:43]. He mentioned being at his second vacation home in Tweed, Ontario (roughly 125 miles from his Ottawa house) [00:12:31]. His vocal intonation during these questions suggested nervousness and agitation [00:10:34]. He repeatedly stated he couldn’t remember specific details of his schedule, particularly around the time of Marie France Como’s death [00:16:08]. The detective withheld reassurance, using silence to heighten psychological pressure [00:17:13].
Detective Smith then confronted Williams with evidence. He presented a photocopy of a boot print, claiming it was an identical match to Williams’ boots and was as incriminating as a fingerprint [00:21:49]. This was a fabricated claim designed to increase pressure, as footprints are not as indistinguishable as fingerprints [00:21:43]. He stated, “Your vehicle drove up the side of Jessica Lloyd’s house. Your boots walked to the back of Jessica Lloyd’s house on the evening of the 28th and 29th of January” [00:22:32].
The detective also claimed that a search warrant was being executed at Williams’ residence in Tweed, his vehicle seized, and that DNA found on Marie France Como’s body would be matched to him before the evening was over [00:24:12]. Again, this was a tactic; the DNA found on Marie France Como was not admissible due to decomposition, and the only other male DNA found was from a less severe attack [00:19:32]. Smith emphasized that Williams’ credibility was “gone” once the evidence was solidified [00:25:33].
Faced with this manufactured pressure, Williams struggled, stating, “It’s hard to believe this” [00:29:27]. He then confessed to his wife’s likely distress due to the investigation [00:30:05].
Confession to Specific Crimes
Williams then confessed to the murders.
Jessica Lloyd: He stated he saw Jessica in her house on her treadmill on a Wednesday night [00:34:13]. He noticed she wasn’t there Thursday, entered her house, looked around, and left [00:34:26]. When she came home, he went back in through the back patio door while she was sleeping [00:34:43]. He also revealed that Jessica was held captive in Tweed with him for almost 24 hours, from Thursday night to Friday night [00:33:07]. He told police she had been deceased for over a week and was buried outside, close to a road, and easily findable [00:32:18]. He agreed to show them the location on a map [00:32:00].
Marie France Como: Williams confessed to entering Marie France Como’s house through an open basement window while she was away [00:35:10]. He returned later when she was home and on the phone in her bedroom [00:35:26]. She discovered him in the basement when her cat, fixated on him, wouldn’t come upstairs [00:35:32]. Williams stated she came downstairs, and when she spotted him, he subdued and tied her up upstairs before strangling her [00:36:06].
Williams acknowledged that a connection existed between him and all four cases, geographically [00:11:30]. Despite the confessions, he stated he didn’t know why these things happened [00:36:40].