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This country has had some pretty shocking murder cases. Paul Bernardo, the Pickton murders, and now, the case of a top ranking military officer - Colonel Russell Williams, the top commander at CFB Trenton, one of Canada's biggest military bases. Williams is accused in the first-degree murder of two women: Jessica Lloyd, and Corporal Marie Comeau, who served under his command. He's also charged with the sexual assault of two other women. And now, authorities are reviewing unsolved cases in other places, where Williams served, including Ottawa, Nova Scotia and Dubai.
Police were led to Williams after they conducted a roadside canvass along a highway near Lloyd's house. They were looking for specific tires to match suspicious tracks they found in Lloyd's driveway after she disappeared. But for now, this is what we know: in September, two women were attacked in Tweed, Ontario - where Williams owns a cottage with his wife, bound and blindfolded and assaulted in their homes. Then in November, Corp. Marie France Comeau, who was based at CFB Trenton, turned up dead at her home.
Williams' next alleged victim was Jessica Lloyd from Belleville, Ontario She vanished on January 29 2010, prompting a massive investigation. The set of tire tracks at Lloyd's home allegedly are what helped lead police to Williams, who in turn allegedly led authorities to Lloyd's body. There are also reports that he made a wide-ranging confession, resulting in him being charged in all four cases.
To talk about the Williams case, we brought in Nick Pron, a veteran crime reporter for the Toronto Star, and author of several books, including 'Lethal Marriage', a full account of the Bernardo-Homolka case. A graduate of Ryerson's graduate journalist program, he grew up in Winnipeg, and first became interested in journalism through his mother, who worked on the cleaning staff at the 'Calgary Tribune'.
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