Col. Russell Williams expected to plead guilty

BELLEVILLE, ON – Journalists began lining up at 5 a.m. Monday as the case of Col. Russell Williams was to resume in an Ontario courtroom.

Williams was the newly minted commander of the country’s largest air force base, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, when, it’s alleged, he launched an unfathomably dark and twisted crime spree that would leave two young women dead and two others scarred by sexual assault.

Williams, 47, was expected to enter formal pleas of guilty to those crimes Monday. In addition, he’s expected to admit his guilt in a string of fantasy-driven break-ins in Ottawa and Tweed, Ont., during which lingerie, underwear, bathing suits and shoes were taken from bedroom drawers and closets.

The plea agreement, which includes two counts of first-degree murder, is unusual in that it guarantees Williams will spend the next 25 years behind bars. The details of the crimes will be set out in the Crown’s statement of facts.

It has been reported that Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 38, an air force flight attendant who ultimately reported to Williams, was bound and beaten in the basement of her home in Brighton, Ont. Comeau was asphyxiated. Her naked body was found in a bed, partially covered, on Nov. 26.

Published reports have also suggested that 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd, of Belleville, was kept alive for at least a day while she was sexually assaulted, videotaped and asphyxiated.

Court will also hear about other sex crimes for which Williams is charged: two counts of sexual assault and confinement. In those cases, Williams is alleged to have blindfolded, sexually assaulted and photographed two women in the Tweed, Ont., area in September 2009. One of the victims is now suing Williams, who will continue to receive his military pension while in prison. The woman says the attack has left her depressed and, at times, suicidal.

During this week’s sentencing hearing, victim-impact statements will be read in court.