By Day, He Was a Decorated Commander. But Double-Life Started with Underwear Fetish — and Spiraled into Heinous Crimes By Christina Coulter

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.