TORONTO - The uniform of convicted sex killer Russell Williams has been incinerated — an apparent parting shot from a shaken military eager to erase all traces of the disgraced former colonel.
Williams's clothes were held overnight in a military storage facility, then burned Thursday morning at CFB Trenton — the base he once commanded, said spokesman Cmdr. Hubert Genest.
Uniforms and other equipment belong to the military and are usually retrieved when someone leaves the Canadian Forces, Genest said. But he's never known them to be burned.
"I've been in the Canadian Forces for 25 years now and it's the first time I've heard about that," he said.
The military took the extraordinary step of burning the clothing and equipment because it had Williams's name on it, he said. They were incinerated in a facility that's normally used to destroy classified materials.
"We didn't feel it was appropriate for the marked clothing to be re-used," he said.
Williams was convicted last month of first-degree murder in the brutal sex killings of Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 38, of Brighton, Ont., and Jessica Lloyd, 27, of Belleville, Ont.
Lloyd was raped and murdered in the cottage in Tweed, with Williams meticulously documenting her gruelling ordeal in photographs and videotape.
He also pleaded guilty to 82 fetish break-and-enters and thefts and two sexual assaults.
The former commander of Canada's largest military airbase was stripped of his rank after his conviction and is serving a life sentence in Kingston Penitentiary with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
No classified documents were found during the search, Genest said. Some of Williams's unmarked books and manuals were spared, such as reading materials related to piloting and his French classes.
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The military is still in the process of retrieving Williams's medals and his "commission scroll" — an official document signed by the Governor General and minister of national defence that confirms he was a serving officer, Genest said.
Officers usually keep the scroll when they retire as a "sign of pride," he added.
Williams had two medals — the Canadian Forces Decoration Medal, given for good service, and the South West Asia Service Medal, for having served at least 30 days in Afghanistan.
"We know where they are and we are in the process of taking the steps to collect them," he said, but refused to disclose the location.
During Williams's sentencing hearing, the court heard that the SUV he used to kidnap Lloyd would be crushed, and the hundreds of items of women’s and girls' underwear and clothing he stole would be burned.
Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kristine Rae said that won't happen until the 30-day appeal period has expired on Sunday.
It's still unclear what will happen to the cottage. Neighbours have said they want it bulldozed, but Rae said the police aren't involved because it wasn't part of the criminal proceedings against Williams.
