OTTAWA – Col. Russell Williams, the former base commander at Trenton who is accused of killing two women, has retained a prominent defence lawyer from Ottawa.
Michael Edelson has represented such clients as Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien, who was cleared of influence-peddling charges last year, and Raymond Lahey, a former Nova Scotia bishop who is facing child pornography charges.
"We are representing him," an office administrator at Edelson & Associates in downtown Ottawa confirmed Wednesday afternoon. She said Edelson was in court and could not answer calls.
Williams, 46, faces first-degree murder charges in the asphyxiation deaths of Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 37, who was found at her Brighton, Ont., home in November, and Jessica Lloyd, 27, who went missing from Belleville just over a week before Williams’s arrest.
He also faces sexual assault charges in relation to two September home invasions in nearby Tweed, Ont., where he owns a cottage.
Police have said they will continue to investigate cold cases that may be linked to the eastern Ontario murders.
Williams, whose replacement will officially take over as commander of 8 Wing/CFB Trenton on Friday, is to appear in Belleville court on Thursday by video link from the Quinte Detention Centre in nearby Napanee, Ont., where he has been held since his bail hearing on Feb. 8.
At his last appearance, Williams, shackled and wearing a blue jumpsuit, did not have a lawyer and obtained counsel from the court.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.