BELLEVILLE, Ont. – Col. Russell Williams pleaded guilty on Monday to more than 80 charges including two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cpl. Marie-France Comeau and Jessica Lloyd.
"Guilty, your honour," Williams said, as family members of the victims wiped away tears in the Belleville, Ont. courtroom.
Journalists began lining up at 5 a.m. Monday as the case against the former commander of the country’s largest air force base resumed. Williams, 47, in handcuffs and clad in a dark suit and white shirt, made his way to the prisoner’s box just before 10 a.m. ET.
A woman clutched a faded photograph of three girls and a boy.
Another cried, holding a photo of Lloyd with friends.
Family members cried, looking down as the clerk read out the more than 80 break-and-enter charges against Williams, who remained quite still throughout.
The charges relate to break-ins and lingerie thefts in Ottawa and the eastern Ontario communities of Belleville and Tweed.
After they were read, Williams pleaded guilty.
The former commander of CFB Trenton, also pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault.
The plea agreement 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.
A large amount of evidence, including photos, will be shown in court.
Security was tight for the hearing, with a police officer stationed in each corner of the court, along with several lined up along the sides of the room.
It has been reported that 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, 2009.
Published reports have also suggested that Lloyd, 27, of Belleville, was kept alive for at least a day while she was sexually assaulted, videotaped and asphyxiated.
Court will also hear about the 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 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 and then the judge will then hand down his sentence.
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