'Devil in Ozarks' planned prison escape for months, cited lax security in kitchen, report says
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Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
By Day, He Was a Decorated Commander. But Double-Life Started with Underwear Fetish — and Spiraled into Heinous Crimes
Russell Williams once led Canada's largest air base and flew world leaders. But behind closed doors, he prowled neighborhoods, stole women's underwear, and killed two women NEED TO KNOW Col. Russell Williams, trusted to fly prime ministers and Queen Elizabeth II, secretly prowled neighborhoods and broke into homes 82 times to steal women's underwear Investigators linked him to two murders and multiple sexual assaults, crimes he admitted to in a disturbing taped confession Williams was sentenced to life in prison in 2010 with no parole eligibility for 25 years, ensuring decades behind bars He was one of Canada's most trusted military commanders — but behind closed doors, Colonel Russell Williams was living a secret life of fetish, sexual violence and murder. Williams' ascent in the Canadian Armed Forces seemed impeccable. He rose to command CFB Trenton — Canada's largest military air base — piloting dignitaries, including the prime minister and Queen Elizabeth II, according to NBC News. But what no one suspected was that during that time, and over the course of several years, he was secretly breaking into women's homes, driven by a disturbing compulsion. Investigators eventually linked Williams to 82 break-ins across Ontario, where he stole lingerie, underwear, bathing suits and shoes — often photographing himself wearing the items while masturbating — and, in some cases, targeting girls as young as nine, CityNews Vancouver reported. He meticulously catalogued his crimes and even returned to many of the same homes. In November 2009, Williams attacked Corporal Marie-France Comeau, raped and murdered her in her home, and later sent a condolence letter to her family as though he had no connection to the crime, CityNews reported. Police would later learn that Williams exploited his access to Comeau's flight schedule to know when she'd be alone, per the Durham Region. Just two months later, 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd vanished. Investigators found distinctive tire tracks in the snow outside her house and began checking vehicles in the area. The treads matched those on Williams' Nissan Pathfinder, prompting police to bring him in for a ten-hour-long interrogation on February 7, 2010. At first, Ontario Provincial Police Detective Sergeant Jim Smyth pressed Williams on forensic evidence tying him to the crimes. Eventually, Williams shifted, showing more concern for how his actions would appear to others than for his victims. 'When you talk about perception, my only two immediate concerns from a perception perspective are what my wife must be going through right now, and the impact this is going to have on the Canadian Forces,' Williams said in the videotaped confession, according to a transcript reviewed by PEOPLE. As the interview went on, Williams began to describe the killings in startlingly matter-of-fact terms. About Comeau, he admitted to beating her with a flashlight and then strangling her. "Her skull gave way... she was immediately unconscious," he said. "Then, I strangled her." Before killing her, he had raped Comeau repeatedly, per testimony later given in court. During the assault, she begged for her life, telling Williams "have a heart please... I've been really good... I want to live," per CityNews. He told investigators that he placed her body in the garage afterward. When asked why he returned to the base so soon after the murder, Williams said it was because of his duties: 'I was flying early the next morning.' On Lloyd, Williams recounted how he tied her up, held her captive for hours, forced her to wear lingerie he had stolen, assaulted her and took hundreds of photos before killing her with duct tape. He also confessed to two violent assaults — two months before killing Comeau, Williams attacked Laurie Massicotte in her home, where he tied her up, blindfolded her and forced her to pose for photos. He targeted another woman, whose name has not been made public, in a similar assault that same month. After his arrest, police uncovered a trove of trophies from his years of break-ins and assaults — thousands of stolen undergarments catalogued and photographed in neat order. The shocking revelations rocked the Canadian public and devastated the military, with then-Chief of Defence Staff General Walter Natynczyk calling Williams' actions ' a fundamental breach of trust, duty and valour' in a statement. Williams pleaded guilty to 88 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, and in 2010 was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. Stripped of his rank and military honors, his uniform was burned and his medals destroyed. Williams reached out-of-court settlements with the family of murder victim Jessica Lloyd and Massicotte — the latter for $7 million — in 2014 and 2016, respectively per CBC News. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dear Abby: My sisters hate my girlfriend
DEAR ABBY: I am a 67-year-old man who has two sisters. Recently, I was at my younger sister 'Mitzi's' house, installing some blinds. While there, I received a phone call from my girlfriend. (We have been together nine months, after my wife passed last year.) My girlfriend and I were discussing finances, including the topic of my older sister, 'Carolyn,' borrowing money last year. A few days later, Carolyn called me, upset that I had discussed our financial arrangement with my girlfriend. (It turns out Mitzi had recorded the conversation on her Ring cameras while I was there alone.) Now, both sisters are mad at me. This all started when I told Mitzi that associating with her ex-husband who verbally and physically abused her years earlier was a mistake. He was arrested for domestic violence and incarcerated for a while for committing other crimes. Mitzi did not have my permission to share that recording I had no knowledge of. She was not a participant in the conversation. Now, my girlfriend is concerned because she was looking forward to building a good relationship with my sisters and now does not think Carolyn will let her. Any advice? — DRAMA-FILLED IN NEW YORK DEAR DRAMA-FILLED: Just this: Remember none of this would have happened if you hadn't done a favor for Sister Mitzi by installing her blinds. Unless you were sworn to secrecy, there is no reason you shouldn't have discussed the loan you made to Sister Carolyn with your girlfriend. If they continue giving you a hard time, warn them that if they don't both apologize for breaching your privacy, you are done being their handyman and moneylender. You should also make clear that, at a minimum, you expect them to treat your girlfriend with respect. DEAR ABBY: I am acquainted with a single mother of a 4-year-old daughter. The mother is depressed and suffers from a circadian rhythm disorder. They don't go to bed until 4 to 6 in the morning and sleep until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Because of their sleep schedule, there are no daytime activities for the child. During the winter, the little girl saw only an hour or two of sunlight each day. The mother doesn't want her daughter to attend preschool because of their sleep schedule. This will have a detrimental effect on her daughter. Her circadian rhythm will be out of sync when she does go to school. Is this considered neglect? The father is a friend of mine, and he agrees this is a problem. Can you offer suggestions? — BYSTANDER IN OHIO DEAR BYSTANDER: Yes, this is considered neglect. That child has received none of the social or intellectual stimulation that children normally do. The father needs to step in, assert himself and, if it's possible, rally the grandparents for help. There is medical help for both circadian rhythm disorder and depression, and the mother should be urged to give it a try, if not for her own sake, then for her daughter's. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Black mayors of cities Trump decries as 'lawless' tout significant declines in violent crimes
As President Donald Trump declared Washington, D.C., a crime-ridden wasteland in need of federal intervention this week and threatened similar federal interventions in other Black-led cities, several mayors compared notes. The president's characterization of their cities contradicts what they began noticing last year: that they were seeing a drop in violent crime after a pandemic-era spike. In some cases the declines were monumental, due in large part to more youth engagement, gun buyback programs and community partnerships. Now members of the African American Mayors Association are determined to stop Trump from burying accomplishments that they already felt were overlooked. And they're using the administration's unprecedented law enforcement takeover in the nation's capital as an opportunity to disprove his narrative about some of the country's greatest urban enclaves. 'It gives us an opportunity to say we need to amplify our voices to confront the rhetoric that crime is just running rampant around major U.S. cities. It's just not true,' said Van Johnson, mayor of Savannah, Georgia, and president of the African American Mayors Association. 'It's not supported by any evidence or statistics whatsoever.' After deploying the first of 800 National Guard members to Washington, the Republican president is setting his sights on other cities including Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland, California, calling them crime-ridden and 'horribly run." One thing they all have in common: They're led by Black mayors. 'It was not lost on any member of our organization that the mayors either were Black or perceived to be Democrats,' Johnson said. 'And that's unfortunate. For mayors, we play with whoever's on the field.' The federal government's actions have heightened some of the mayors' desires to champion the strategies used to help make their cities safer. Some places are seeing dramatic drops in crime rates Trump argued that federal law enforcement had to step in after a prominent employee of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was attacked in an attempted carjacking. He also pointed to homeless encampments, graffiti and potholes as evidence of Washington 'getting worse.' However statistics published by Washington's Metropolitan Police contradict the president and show violent crime has dropped there since a post-pandemic peak in 2023. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson scoffed at Trump's remarks, hailing the city's 'historic progress driving down homicides by more than 30% and shootings by almost 40% in the last year alone.' Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, where homicides fell 14% between 2023 and 2024, called the federal takeover nothing but a performative 'power grab.' In Baltimore, officials say they have seen historic decreases in homicides and nonfatal shootings this year, and those have been on the decline since 2022, according to the city's public safety data dashboard. Carjackings were down 20% in 2023, and other major crimes fell in 2024. Only burglaries have climbed slightly. The lower crime rates are attributed to tackling violence with a 'public health' approach, city officials say. In 2021, under Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore created a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan that called for more investment in community violence intervention, more services for crime victims and other initiatives. Scott accused Trump of exploiting crime as a 'wedge issue and dog whistle' rather than caring about curbing violence. 'He has actively undermined efforts that are making a difference saving lives in cities across the country in favor of militarized policing of Black communities,' Scott said via email. The Democratic mayor pointed out that the Justice Department has slashed over $1 million in funding this year that would have gone toward community anti-violence measures. He vowed to keep on making headway, regardless. 'We will continue to closely work with our regional federal law enforcement agencies, who have been great partners, and will do everything in our power to continue the progress despite the roadblocks this administration attempts to implement,' Scott said. Community organizations help curb violence Just last week Oakland officials touted significant decreases in crime in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2024, including a 21% drop in homicides and a 29% decrease in all violent crime, according to the midyear report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Officials credited collaborations with community organizations and crisis response services through the city's Department of Violence Prevention, established in 2017. 'These results show that we're on the right track,' Mayor Barbara Lee said at a news conference. 'We're going to keep building on this progress with the same comprehensive approach that got us here.' After Trump gave his assessment of Oakland this week, she rejected it as 'fearmongering.' Social justice advocates agree that crime has gone down and say Trump is perpetuating exaggerated perceptions that have long plagued Oakland. Nicole Lee, executive director of Urban Peace Movement, an Oakland-based organization that focuses on empowering communities of color and young people through initiatives such as leadership training and assistance to victims of gun violence, said much credit for the gains on lower crime rates is due to community groups. 'We really want to acknowledge all of the hard work that our network of community partners and community organizations have been doing over the past couple of years coming out of the pandemic to really create real community safety,' Lee said. 'The things we are doing are working.' She worries that an intervention by military forces would undermine that progress. 'It creates kind of an environment of fear in our community,' Lee said. Patrols and youth curfews In Washington, agents from multiple federal agencies, National Guard members and even the United States Park Police have been seen performing law enforcement duties from patrolling the National Mall to questioning people parked illegally. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the guard troops will not be armed but declined to elaborate on their assignments to safety patrols and beautification efforts. Savannah's Johnson said he is all for partnering with the federal government, but troops on city streets is not what he envisioned. Instead, cities need federal assistance for things like multistate investigation and fighting problems such as gun trafficking, and cybercrimes. 'I'm a former law enforcement officer. There is a different skill set that is used for municipal law enforcement agencies than the military,' Johnson said. There has also been speculation that federal intervention could entail curfews for young people. But that would do more harm, Nicole Lee said, disproportionately affecting young people of color and wrongfully assuming that youths are the main instigators of violence. 'If you're a young person, basically you can be cited, criminalized, simply for being outside after certain hours,' Lee said. 'Not only does that not solve anything in regard to violence and crime, it puts young people in the crosshairs of the criminal justice system.' A game of wait-and-see For now, Johnson said, the mayors are watching their counterpart in Washington, Muriel Bowser, closely to see how she navigates the unprecedented federal intervention. She has been walking a fine line between critiquing and cooperating since Trump's takeover, but things ramped up Friday when officials sued to try to block the takeover. Johnson praised Bowser for carrying on with dignity and grace. 'Black mayors are resilient. We are intrinsically children of struggle,' Johnson said. 'We learn to adapt quickly, and I believe that we will and we are.'
