A Murderer's Silence. The Case of Col. Russell Williams

Years after the disturbing case of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, many crimes and murders continued to occur, however out of all of the brutal crimes that happened during that time span, Wednesday October 20, 2010 provided some of the most terrifying and disturbing evidence and information that surpasses the Bernardo Homolka murder. Russell Williams', known to the public as Canadian Armed Forces Colonel Russell Williams' was charged with 86 break and enter. The most chilling were the first-degree murder charges of  both Marie-France Comeau and Jessica Elizabeth Lloyd, a more horrifying replica of the Bernardo case.

The Russell Williams' case came as a shock to the Canadian public and the world. As we all sat and watched the first video which began with Williams who initially appeared to be completely confident in thinking he was safe and in thinking he wasn't caught. He was interrogated and calmly responded to the questions being asked. However, as the video carried on, the interrogator slowly gains Williams' trust by using his professional and skilled psychology to extract confessions. The investigator continues to provide more and more evidence until Williams realizes he his caught. The boot print and tire tracks at a murder scene match his boots and personal vehicle. The attacks occurred in areas where Williams lived and frequented. Comeau was also a member of the Canadian Forces who worked on the same base as Williams. The ominous DNA test that will inevitably identify him as being a killer. For Williams, there was no way out and from that point on the details became more and more frightening.

 In court, the victims friends and family had to sit for hours in distraught while Williams stated things such as, "When I first hit Jessica in the back of the head with the flashlight, I could feel her skull give away." He spoke about how he bound and raped the two women, and how he forced Jessica to perform oral sex on him by attaching a zip tie around her neck and saying if he didn't like what she did, he would pull it tight, another comment that made the victims family's cringe and sob in distraught.

The Russell Williams' case concludes with a sad and tragic ending in which no human being should ever have to go through. These women were just beginning there lives and for it to end in such a barbaric and inhuman way is hard to fathom. Like Bernardo, this case has struck the lives of all women across Canada and the globe. In the prosecution's closing statement, Crown Attorney Lee Burgess says, “Because of Russell Williams we are a community where women now feel unsafe in their homes and where their spouses, their families and friends feel unsafe at leaving them alone. One might think the capture of the perpetrator might start to alleviate that fear, but for many people it has not,”.The prosecutions closing address signifies a sad truth. Although society may believe that punishment by the law will deter potential perpetrators and murders, unfortunately it does not. As a result, we will continue and move on with our lives and the Williams Case will be forgotten until the next perpetrator strikes.  

It's scary to think about the fact that people who appear to be 'good' and 'normal' can in actuality, be those individuals who are capable of committing the most heinous crimes. The important question that comes out from both the Williams and Bernardo case is, "Who can we trust"?