A New Kind of Monster (31 page)

And to Laurie Massicotte, the second woman he tied up, blindfolded and photographed, he also apologized.

The next order of business was to hear from some of the many people whose lives had been so badly scarred. In Canada, victim impact statements are often read into the court record before a convicted person is sentenced. In this instance, they could have no effect on the actual sentence, since Williams was automatically facing life imprisonment. But victim impact statements are taken seriously and examined closely if and when there is an application for parole.

And rarely are they as compelling as these ones, which chiefly addressed the death and suffering of Jessica Lloyd. Corporal Marie-France Comeau's former longtime boyfriend, Alain Plante, was in court that afternoon, as was Paul Bélanger, who had discovered her body. But there were no victim impact statements made on Comeau's behalf by relatives and friends,
who were said (unofficially) to be too heartbroken to stand in front of her killer and try to tell him what he'd done. Their loss was addressed the next day by Crown attorney Burgess in his closing remarks.

Lloyd's mother, Roxanne, dignified and gracious in her sorrow, read out loud the dates of her daughter's birth and death, and told the court she now takes antidepressants and sleeping pills. And she articulated what most were feeling: there could be no forgiveness. “I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest, and I wouldn't wish this on anyone. But I can't help wondering why? Jessica never did anything to anyone … I have heard that people should be forgiven for their sins … but I can honestly say I hate Russell Williams … I am a broken woman … There's no punishment that can make this better.”

Andy Lloyd told the court that he knew from the moment his sister went missing that something was very wrong, but that he could never have guessed what lay ahead. In tears, he said the case had drawn so much publicity that the grieving process had never been completed. He spoke of his happy, ebullient younger sister, saying Christmas had always been an especially joyous occasion for the family. Now, “looking ahead, I can't even imagine what Christmas will be like.” Staring hard at Williams, he said: “The only good thing about all of this is that these crimes were stopped … I have so many questions that will haunt me for the rest of my life and only Russell Williams has the answers … I don't understand how fate or God or any higher power could allow these things to happen.”

Applause erupted in the courtroom when he finished.

An aunt of Lloyd's named Deborah said her six-year-old grandson now wanted to be a police officer, so he could catch bad guys like the one who killed Jessica. And she made an allusion to the only fact that gave any shred of comfort to the Lloyd clan—that it
was Jessica's rape and murder that had led to Williams's arrest. “I don't know how to close my eyes at night without seeing her scared little face and his piercing eyes. Many people have said it took our angel to bring Russell Williams down.”

As she spoke those words, Detective Inspector Nicholas, the tough cop who had overseen the investigation, wiped his eyes.

Andy Lloyd had said the same: “No other woman will be traumatized or murdered ever again by Russell Williams and it is because of my sister,” he told the court. “She's a hero for stopping this from happening to another family.”

Williams appeared to be listening to everything attentively. When a friend of Lloyd's scornfully accused him of not having the guts even to look her in the eye, he lifted his miserable gaze and did just that.

Another of Lloyd's aunts, named Sharon (Judge Scott asked that their full names not be printed), said that every time she sees a picture of Williams's face, “it's like being kicked in the stomach … Jessica was home where she thought she was safe … She was powerless to defend herself against such an experienced predator … He ended her life and he dumped Jessica on the side of the road like a bag of trash … He has ruined so many lives.”

Sarah, Lloyd's first cousin, told the court that she is now scared to be alone in her home. “I can't trust anyone, I worry all the time. I have lost my best friend … I have lost myself.”

And an Ottawa student named Hayley, whose home was robbed by the murderer, told the court the break-in had left her frightened, even after she moved house. She said she had panic attacks and trouble sleeping, and that her life had changed because “I realized how violated I felt.”

Then finally, on day four, it was time to hear from the killer himself. A small microphone was placed at the front of the prisoner's box. Williams rose to his feet, blew his nose and began speaking. He proceeded slowly, tearing up and taking long pauses between sentences, as if struggling to summon up the energy to speak.

“Your Honour. I stand before you indescribably ashamed. I know the crimes I have committed have traumatized many people. The family and friends of Marie-France Comeau and Jessica Lloyd in particular have suffered and continue to suffer profound, desperate pain and sorrow as a result of what I've done. My assaults of [Jane Doe] and Ms. Massicotte have caused them to suffer terribly as well. Numerous victims of the break and enters I have committed have been very seriously distressed as a result of my having so invaded their most intimate privacy. My family, your Honour, has been irreparably damaged. The understandable hatred that was expressed yesterday and that has been palpable throughout the week has me recognize that most will find it impossible to accept, but the fact is, I deeply regret what I have done and the harm I know I have caused to many. I committed despicable crimes, your Honour, and in the process betrayed my family, my friends and colleagues and the Canadian Forces.”

His chief lawyer, Michael Edelson, then told the court he and his client were in acceptance of everything that was taking place. “There is nothing that can be said to change the legal outcome and consequences here today. It is not the role of the defense to specifically address the victim impact resulting from the crimes. But we wish to acknowledge their suffering and we take no issue with what Crown counsel [is] proposing.”

Edelson cited mitigating factors he said Judge Scott should take into consideration in passing sentence, even though the outcome was already certain. He said a long, expensive trial had been avoided because Williams had admitted all his crimes. Edelson
also noted how thorough Williams's confession had been, how he had assisted police in locating Lloyd's body and how he had willingly told them where to find all the evidence they needed.

“It is important to note that only 17 of 48 homeowners had reported homes were broken into. Until he confessed, they were unable to identify a suspect,” Edelson said. “He cannot stand before this court and expect forgiveness. Indeed, from a fundamental and moral perspective, one could debate whether he's even entitled to ask for forgiveness. We can, however, hope that the act of his pleading guilty might in some way at some time aid in the healing process. We wish to acknowledge their suffering and also to publicly declare that we empathize with these victims and what they've had to endure … Their pain is incalculable.”

Edelson was not pleased with the way the case had played out, as he made clear in remarks later published in
Canadian Lawyer
magazine, particularly with regard to the many leaks that had taken place. “I think there should be a roundtable of leading defence, prosecution, [and] judges to discuss the implications of new media and management of files that are very high profile and the development of rules of practice and rules of professional responsibility to deal with these issues so that lawyers don't get offside,” he was quoted as saying.

He also voiced concern about the ramifications for the witness system of allowing live blogging from a courtroom. “If you have instantaneous communication of the evidence, this means that all subsequent witnesses have access to the evidence in court as it's unfolding. I would like to see our rules of practice amended … in order to address these issues and give judges and lawyers clear guidance. I think the law societies across Canada, the federation of law societies, should strike a committee to address the new media issues and how they will impact on trials and court proceedings.”

In his closing remarks, Crown attorney Burgess began by saying he would not seek to have Williams declared a dangerous offender—meaning he would be detained indefinitely—because it would prolong the hearing and would be “superfluous” to the proceedings since he did not believe any parole board would ever allow this killer to go free. Along with the two automatic life sentences for the two homicides, Burgess asked the judge to sentence Williams to ten-year concurrent sentences on each of the two sexual assaults, and to one-year concurrent sentences on each of the eighty-two break-ins.

Then he addressed the circumstances in which the two women had died. “They were violated, sir, not only by this man's hands, but by his lens, two young women terrorized in their last hours, just for the sexual gratification of this man,” he told Scott. He spoke of Comeau, blindfolded and bloodied yet still fighting for her life, and of how Lloyd had cooperated with her captor, and of how Williams knew he'd kill her but told her she would survive if she did not resist. “David Russell Williams is simply one of the worst offenders in Canadian history,” Burgess concluded, to applause. “We are a community that's been shocked and saddened by all that's transpired.” But he also emphasized that Williams's brutal crimes were not representative of anything but himself. What really defined Belleville, Tweed and the other traumatized communities was the manner in which they had rallied together, Burgess told the court. “You could hardly open your eyes in the days after Lloyd's disappearance without seeing posters or something about her. We're a community that has also been transformed by his crimes. The impact of his crimes extends far beyond his crimes, what makes it more despicable is this is a man considered above reproach … He betrayed this community and he betrayed the military … And, as Andy Lloyd put it so
eloquently yesterday, it was Jessica and the community that loved her that brought Mr. Williams down.”

Burgess then spoke again of Corporal Marie-France Comeau. “The Comeau family has asked me to speak, briefly, on their behalf. They want the court to know how difficult it is to convey to this court the impact that this man's actions have caused on what is left of their family. There was a special bond between Marie-France and her father, Ernie. Marie-France was his only daughter. As he has described it, she was his ray of sunshine, pretty and very much in love with life. He rejoiced in what she had achieved and was comforted by her career choice … she had followed in his own footsteps in choosing a career in the Canadian Forces, an honourable vocation dedicated to the service of this country.

“First, they learned that she had died; then that she had been murdered; and finally that she had been murdered by a man of authority, a commander at the Trenton air force base. It is difficult for them to accept that a superior officer in the Canadian Forces would do as he did. They consider it a monstrous betrayal of trust. He has broken their lives. They—that is Ernie's wife, Lise, his son, Marc-André, and Ernie himself—cannot sleep. What were to have been family celebrations have turned into times of mourning for them. The notoriety of this case has only aggravated the impact of their loss. At this most difficult time, they simply want to be left alone, to confront their sorrow and to cry together, in private.”

And then came the final act, the passing of double life sentences. But before imposing the automatic penalty, Judge Scott paused and said something that had not been anticipated. Even as he called Williams “a sado-sexual serial killer,” he also said he believed he was genuinely remorseful and that his apology was sincere.

“There's been a saying that we've all used over time, and that is, ‘Nothing surprises me any more,' ” the judge said. “That adage has
no meaning here. Fortunately for all, the nature of these crimes are very rare in our society. They do happen and they do occur when least expected. The depths of the depravity demonstrated by Russell Williams have no equal. One suspects that he has contained for most of his adult life sexual desires and fetishes. However, in 2007, these inner thoughts began to control his private actions, pushing him deeper and deeper into criminal behaviour, which culminated in the brutal and senseless murders of two innocents.

“Although not insane, it appears that Mr. Williams was and remains a very sick individual, but a very dangerous man nonetheless. Russell Williams will forever be remembered as a sado-sexual serial killer. Russell Williams lived a charmed life—the best of education, a leader of men and women, a respected rising star in our beloved armed forces. His double life fooled most people. He may be best described in the biographical sense as Canada's bright shining lie, my apologies to Mr. Sheehan [an American reporter named Neil Sheehan, who wrote a 1988 book with that title about the crimes of a U.S. lieutenant-colonel during the Vietnam War].”