Williams military uniform burned
The Canadian Forces has taken what's believed to be an unprecedented step in burning the uniform of convicted killer Russell Williams.
Four officers entered the eastern Ontario cottage where the former colonel committed one of his murders to retrieve his military clothes and other gear on Wednesday.
Cmdr. Hubert Genest said Williams's clothes were held overnight in a military storage facility, then burned Thursday at CFB Trenton — the base Williams once commanded.
Genest said uniforms and other equipment are usually retrieved when someone leaves the military, but he's never seen it burned.
Genest said the step was taken because much of the clothing had Williams's name on it.
Williams was convicted last month of first-degree murder in the rapes and murders of Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 38, of Brighton, Ont., and Jessica Lloyd, 27, of Belleville, Ont.
He also pleaded guilty to 82 fetish break-and-enters and thefts and two sexual assaults. Williams is now serving a life sentence at Kingston Penitentiary with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
No classified documents were found during the search, and some of his unmarked books and manuals were spared, Genest said. Williams was a pilot and took French classes, so those reading materials could be reused, he said.
The military is still in the process of retrieving Williams's medals and his commission scroll, an official document signed by the Governor General and minister of national defence that confirms he was a serving officer, Genest said.
The military is aware of where the medals and scroll are located, but Genest wouldn't disclose any details.
Williams had two medals — the Canadian Forces Decoration Medal, given for good service, and the South West Asia Service Medal, for having served in Afghanistan.
The former commander of Canada's largest military airbase was stripped of his rank after his conviction.