The Wounded Innocent

There is something peculiar which does not quite meet the eye in the case of Col. Russell Williams, former commanding officer of CFB Trenton, whose horrible exploits as a murderer of two women, a rapist and a break-and-enter thief has brought shame to the Canadian military command. Shame also to Canada that such a monster posing as an upright military man of high standing could have gone undetected while he roamed the countryside seeking victims.

That something peculiar is the fact that he was a loving husband of a woman to whom he had been married for decades. Mary Elizabeth Harriman is now as good as a widow. It is unlikely she will ever share quality time with her husband in the future. She may visit him in prison, but it is to be fervently anticipated that he will spend the rest of his natural life in prison. On the other hand, how likely is that, given sentencing for the most dreadful crimes, these days?

How is it even remotely possible that a woman would be married to a man for many years and not know him intimately in the psychological sense? Particularly as the marriage relationship was reputed by former neighbours to be a sound one, and the two represented as a loving, mutually concerned couple. Who knows the mysterious ways of visceral psychopaths? Skilled in concealing their inner thoughts and urges.

On the other hand, Col. Williams concealed some 500 pieces of women's lingerie in the home he shared with his wife. The house which has been described as immaculately maintained. The lingerie was found in many different places in that house. A computer, photographs and baby blankets were also taken away. How could their presence, in those numbers, and the many hiding places, have possibly escaped his wife's notice or suspicion?

It rings peculiar that Mary Elizabeth Harriman, who has a responsible, well-remunerated position with a local charity is concerned for her financial future in light of her husband's sadistical enterprises and his future incarceration. She is reputed to have conferred with her husband to agree to signing over their mutually-owned property to sole ownership. To protect the property in her name, in light of a suit brought against her husband by one of his victims.

Ms. Harriman has hounded the Ontario Provincial Police - who undertook a search of that house to reveal and take into custody as evidence, the 500 pieces of women's lingerie he had amassed through his break-and-enter career - to pay for 'restoring' the hardwood floor of the house which they had inadvertently in their search, scratched. The OPP had taken great care not to leave a mess behind them.

To exempt themselves from the possibility of claims that they had been destructive in their search of the house they had taken the precaution of taking before-and-after photographs of the condition of the house. Despite their best efforts, they did leave some scratches on the hardwood floor. And Ms. Harriman complained on a number of occasions to the OPP that they were responsible for replacing the floors.

The floors were not to be professionally re-finished. Ms. Harriman's standards appear more demanding than that. They were to be replaced entirely, a new floor installed. The OPP agreed to pick up the $3,000 cost associated with replacing the scratched floor. It is as though conscience is completely missing here. As though the woman was not stricken with remorse over the fate of those women her husband haunted, humiliated, tortured and murdered.

She has, evidently, never committed to a statement that would reveal she knew nothing of her husband's state of mind, his preoccupation with sexual violence and sadistic gratification.