YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → The Interrogation of Col. Russell Williams

The Interrogation of Col. Russell Williams — Transcript

by JCS - Criminal Psychology · 5,381 words · 929 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:00David Russell Williams enrolled in the
0:02Royal Canadian Air Force in 1987 and was
0:05soon promoted to captain by January 1st,
0:081991. From that moment on, he would have
0:10been addressed as sir by his
0:12subordinates and Captain Williams by his
0:15superiors. Described as an elite pilot
0:17and shining bright star of the military,
0:19he quickly rose through the ranks and
0:21was promoted to colonel in June of 2004
0:24while also being appointed the role of
0:26commanding officer at CFB Trenton,
0:28Canada's largest Air Force base. He was
0:31essentially in full command of over
0:337,000 military personnel, all of whom
0:35would have then referred to him as
0:37Colonel or Colonel Williams without
0:39exception. This would have afforded him
0:41an extensive amount of psychosocial
0:43equinimity and confidence and wasn't
0:45exclusive to his work life. His
0:47designated title of colonel would have
0:49been printed on all forms of
0:50identification and every formal
0:52encounter would sanctify this military
0:54standing. a doctor, lawyer, police
0:56officer, or any other figure of
0:58authority would recognize and comply to
1:00the traditional courtesy of addressing
1:02him by his professional rank. Boosting
1:04his composure and self asssurance each
1:06and every time as his elevated social
1:08standing and military achievements were
1:10accentuated for all to see. There was
1:12one exception, however, and that was the
1:15day he met Detective Sergeant Jim Smith.
1:17All right, you just have a seat. Before
1:21clarifying the psychological relevance
1:23as to why a senior detective would
1:25purposefully refrain from addressing a
1:27highly respected military commander by
1:29his formal title, first consolidate each
1:32of the elements and circumstances that
1:34led to the crossing of paths between
1:36these two profoundly dissimilar yet
1:38equally fascinating individuals. 10 days
1:41earlier on January 28th of 2010, Andy
1:44Lloyd received a call from his mother
1:46around midday stating that his younger
1:49sister, 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd, had
1:51failed to show up to work and wasn't
1:53responding to phone calls or text
1:55messages. He immediately drove to her
1:57isolated home on Ontario's Highway 37
2:00and discovered she wasn't there. There
2:02was no sign of a break-in. Yet, Jessica
2:04was known for leaving her doors
2:05unlocked, and all of her personal items
2:07were still inside the premises,
2:09including her phone, passport, and
2:11driver's license. Ottawa is known for
2:13its remarkably low crime rate and widely
2:15recognized as the safest city in Canada.
2:17The local authorities had resources to
2:20spare, and a missing person's
2:21investigation was launched immediately,
2:23which included an entire division from
2:25the Ottawa Police Force, over 2,000
2:27members of the public, and even a
2:29specialist search and rescue unit from
2:31the Canadian Air Force. The word spread
2:33extremely fast across the city through
2:35the help of the media. And on the second
2:36day of Jessica's disappearance, an
2:38anonymous member of the public came
2:40forward with vital information. He
2:42stated that while driving home from work
2:43the night before at roughly 3:00 a.m.,
2:46he drove past Jessica's house and
2:48noticed an SUV parked in a field just a
2:50short distance away. He stated that he
2:52remembered feeling that something just
2:54seemed off as it was parked in such an
2:56unusual area at such a late hour and he
2:58had drove past the premises thousands of
3:00times before and not once seen the
3:02vehicle before that moment. Police
3:04immediately canvased the area in
3:06question where they found tire tracks in
3:07the field and bootprints leading up to
3:09Jessica's house. They had attained their
3:11first two significant pieces of evidence
3:14which then became the foundation for the
3:15next stages of the investigation. Police
3:17immediately set up six roadblocks
3:19throughout the surrounding area and
3:21stopped every SUV that passed in the
3:23hope of finding a match to the tire
3:25tracks. They reportedly stopped over 200
3:27vehicles over the next 4 days, yet had
3:29no luck and were on the verge of
3:31reassigning their manpower from the
3:33roads to conduct foot patrols in
3:35off-road areas and pathways. However, at
3:37roughly 7:30 p.m. on February 4th, their
3:40luck did a full 180 as the sports
3:43utility vehicle of Colonel Russell
3:44Williams was stopped. He was reportedly
3:47polite and nonchalant about what he
3:48thought was a routine traffic procedure
3:50and was sent on his way after just 90
3:52seconds. Unbeknownst to him, he was
3:54immediately placed under police
3:56surveillance from that moment on as his
3:58tires came up as a complete match to the
4:00tracks found in the field near Jessica
4:02Lloyd's house. 2 days later, on Sunday,
4:04February the 7th, he received a call
4:07from police headquarters in Ottawa
4:09asking him to visit the premises for the
4:11purpose of answering questions in
4:12relation to an ongoing investigative
4:14matter. The colonel didn't inquire
4:16further and agreed to drop into the
4:18police station immediately. He
4:19reportedly told his wife that he would
4:21be back for dinner before setting off
4:23and arrived at the headquarters shortly
4:25before 3:00 p.m. where he was greeted by
4:27Detective Sergeant Jim Smith, a trained
4:29polygraph technician and senior
4:31investigator of the policing behavioral
4:33sciences unit. All right,
4:36you just have to see your
4:39I'm just going to move your gloves here.
4:40That's a little microphone. Make sure
4:42there's nice and clear. Um, as you can
4:43see here, everything in this room is uh
4:45videotaped and audio taped. You ever
4:46been interviewed by the police in a in a
4:48room like this before?
4:49I have never been interviewed like this.
4:50Oh, no. Okay.
4:52I guess closest to
4:54interviewed by NIS for top secret
4:56clearance.
4:57Oh, yeah. All right. Well, again,
4:59Russell, I appreciate you coming in.
5:01The gas can is casually acknowledged yet
5:03quickly brushed to one side by the
5:05detective, followed by the informal
5:07address to the subject using his first
5:09name. He immediately sets the stage for
5:11the interview and takes the colonel down
5:13from his elevated platform for the sole
5:15purpose of stripping away confidence.
5:17This increases the telling signs in body
5:19language and inonation when information
5:21is fabricated and also decreases
5:23cognitive stamina, lessening the amount
5:25of time an individual can keep a facade
5:27before they essentially break
5:29an investigation like this. I mean, I'm
5:30sure you can appreciate it's been big
5:31news uh especially down Belville way.
5:35Um, and you know, obviously our approach
5:37to cases like this is that, uh, uh, we
5:40don't give up on somebody being alive
5:42until we get evidence that they're not.
5:44So,
5:44um, because of that, we're treating, uh,
5:46Jessica's case as an e situation,
5:49obviously.
5:50Um, so we're we're fast forwarding
5:52things that we might normally take our
5:54time with.
5:55Um, and that's why we're here on a
5:57Sunday afternoon.
5:58So, uh, again, I appreciate it. Um,
6:01we're going to do a pretty thorough
6:02interview today. Okay. Um, and the
6:04reason for that is because, uh, the last
6:06thing we want is to be calling people
6:08back again and again and again. Okay.
6:10Um, so what we're going to do is we're
6:12going to go over a number of things and,
6:13uh, I'm going to explain what all those
6:14are to you. Okay.
6:16Um,
6:17I'm a big coffee guy. I don't know if
6:19you're a a coffee guy or not. I didn't
6:21want to drink in front of you. So,
6:22no, I appreciate that.
6:23All right. Go ahead.
6:24I could uh, definitely Are they black?
6:26Yeah, they're just black with uh with
6:28sugar. All right. And again, um, like I
6:30said, this interview is going to be very
6:31thorough. Um, but again, uh, I have a
6:34simple rule when I talk to people. It's,
6:36uh, I'm sure you're the same way. I
6:37treat pe everybody with respect. I don't
6:39I ask you to do the same for me. Um, so
6:42what we're going to do is we're going to
6:43start off by, uh, going through, um,
6:44what your rights are, okay?
6:46Just like everybody else, okay?
6:48Um, have you ever been read your rights
6:50before? I'm sure you've seen on TV a
6:52whole bunch of times, but that's usually
6:53the American version. So,
6:54I'll go over with you briefly. Okay,
6:56Russell, just to avoid any confusion cuz
6:58people do get confused when they're
7:00talked to by the police. Is that uh um
7:02you're obviously not under arrest here
7:03today. Okay. Anytime you feel uh you
7:06want to leave here, you feel free to do
7:07so. The door's not locked. Theresa will
7:09walk you down to the lobby anytime you
7:10want. Okay.
7:11Although the subject was free to leave
7:12at any time, there was a very subtle yet
7:14highly effective subconscious strategy
7:16set in place to try to stop this from
7:18happening. The detective has sat between
7:20Russell and the door. You will see this
7:22method utilized in almost every
7:23interrogation as it's a subliminal
7:25message essentially telling the subject
7:27if you want out of this room you have to
7:29go through me.
7:30Um if there's anything that comes up in
7:33our interview today Russell that uh that
7:35you feel you want to talk uh to a lawyer
7:37about um you just uh you just let me
7:39know. Okay. And the reason for that is I
7:41want to explain to you exactly what's
7:43going on here. Okay. Um uh Jessica uh
7:47Lloyd is um is one of uh four cases that
7:51we're currently investigating. Okay.
7:53Um and essentially what's happened is
7:55over the past uh about four or five
7:58months.
7:59Um there have been four occurrences,
8:02like I said, that we're looking into.
8:04Uh two of those occurrences occurred in
8:06September of 2009.
8:08Um and very briefly, they were up in the
8:10the Tweet area. Uh they involved
8:12somebody entering two different women's
8:14houses um in the evening hours and uh
8:17committing sexual acts. Okay.
8:20During 2009, there were 34 breakins and
8:23attempted break-ins in the quiet town of
8:25Orleans, Ottawa, resulting in the theft
8:27of hundreds of intimate female garments,
8:29one incident of rape, and one incident
8:31of forcible confinement. All of these
8:33occurrences took place not far from the
8:35home of Russell Williams, who is now the
8:37prime suspect for each of these
8:39infractions at the time of his
8:40interrogation.
8:41Uh in uh November of 2009,
8:45a young lady by the name of Marie France
8:48Ko
8:49y
8:50was found uh murdered in her home in
8:52Brighton.
8:52Yeah.
8:53And u we believe that there was a sexual
8:55component to that crime as well.
8:57Corporal Marie France Ko was a
8:5937-year-old military traffic technician
9:02based at CFB Trenton. She was raped and
9:05suffocated to death inside her home in
9:07late November of 2009, which the colonel
9:09was also the prime suspect for at this
9:11moment.
9:12And um then most recently, we have
9:14Jessica Lloyd's disappearance. Okay. So,
9:17essentially, when you're looking at
9:18those kind of crimes, we're looking at a
9:20number of different uh potential
9:21criminal charges. All right. Um, we're
9:24looking at issues uh all the way from
9:25the most serious one, which is
9:27first-degree murder,
9:28uh, kidnapping, uh, sexual assault, um,
9:31break and enter with intent to commit
9:32sexual assault,
9:34um, forcible confinement. Okay? And, uh,
9:37so what I want to make sure you
9:38understand, and this is what we've been
9:39doing with everybody we've been talking
9:40to, is that clearly when we find out
9:42who's responsible for one or all of
9:44those crimes, uh, they could be charged
9:46with one or all of those offenses. Okay?
9:48Whether it's you or whether it's anybody
9:50else, right?
9:50Absolutely. And that's why it's
9:52important that we uh make sure that
9:54people understand what they have to do
9:55and what they don't have to do when
9:56they're talking to us. Okay. So, as I
9:58said before, any point today uh you feel
10:00the need you want to speak to a lawyer,
10:02uh you let me know and uh we can take
10:04you to a room where you can do that in
10:05private. Okay.
10:06Um is there any reason you want to call
10:08a lawyer now?
10:08Nope.
10:09Okay.
10:10These first two attacks happened uh not
10:12that far from my place in two. The
10:15second one did.
10:15Yeah.
10:16We didn't even know the first one had
10:17happened, but uh I understand that was
10:19reasonably close as well. But the second
10:21one was uh was very close.
10:23Yeah.
10:23So certainly at the time JP did a uh
10:27went door to door
10:28and uh within a couple of days probably
10:30the same night. So I spoke with a couple
10:32guys then.
10:32The analysis of vocal inonation is a
10:35tricky thing when dealing with
10:36interrogations as it cannot be used as
10:38evidence in court. Yet intuition would
10:40give many the sense that discomposure is
10:42emanating from the colonel at this
10:44moment. The way he is speaking comes
10:46across as slightly nervous and unsure.
10:48He would appear to most as being
10:50agitated in the manner he is both
10:52processing information and communicating
10:54his responses. This type of cognitive
10:56recognition is a difficult thing to
10:57articulate into words and investigators
11:00simply characterize it as gut instinct
11:02which detective Jim Smith would have no
11:04doubt been feeling at this moment.
11:06Okay. Um yeah and I'm I'm aware of that
11:08from looking at the different cases. And
11:11essentially uh Russell in a nutshell
11:13that's what we wanted to uh to talk to
11:14you about. Okay. um those four cases are
11:17of concern to us
11:19and um you know you've kind of uh almost
11:21hit the nail on the head about some of
11:23our issues that kind of uh make us want
11:25to talk to to Russell Williams. Okay. Um
11:28cuz essentially uh there was a a a
11:31connection um between you and uh and all
11:34four of those cases. Would you agree?
11:39I guess I drive past. Yes, I would have
11:41to say there is a a connection. Yeah.
11:43The colonel is asked to state his
11:45movements and activity over the past 4
11:47days, which is known in forensic
11:49psychology as gathering pretext. The
11:51detective wants to get an initial alibi
11:53from the suspect before the
11:54confrontational phase of the
11:56interrogation begins. This is the most
11:58calm estate that he intends to keep
12:00Russell in before he ramps up the
12:02pressure. And a more relaxed suspect
12:04often results in more detailed pretext,
12:06thus more information to scrutinize and
12:08correlate with any changes made at a
12:10later stage. Friday on the day I was um
12:23Friday on the day I was at home most of
12:25the day I had a sort of a stomach flu.
12:27Okay.
12:28In Ottawa or Tweed?
12:29Tweed.
12:30In Tweed.
12:30Tweed is a village in Ontario where the
12:33colonel had a second vacation home
12:35located roughly 125 miles from his house
12:38in Ottawa.
12:39Okay.
12:39Yeah. Uh, so we backtrack then.
12:44So
12:46all day Friday you're at home.
12:47Yeah.
12:48And then what time do you leave to go to
12:51the base to sleep there on the Friday
12:52night?
12:53Um,
12:57not sure. Probably just, you know, went
13:00in for just before bed. Uh,
13:03I probably left between 8 and 9 or so.
13:06Okay. Um, and you get to the base and
13:09spend the evening there and get up for
13:10the 5:30.
13:11Yep.
13:11Okay. That's right.
13:12So, we backtrack from there. Um, you
13:15when did you arrive at your home uh at
13:18the cottage? I wanted I don't want to
13:21get confused between your home in Ottawa
13:22and the home. So,
13:23no, I had been in Tweed all week.
13:25Yeah.
13:26Uh, the week prior now.
13:29Um,
13:32yeah, I think that's the case. was in
13:35tweet all week, flu Saturday, headed to
13:38Ottawa Saturday night.
13:40Okay. So, um if you didn't have the
13:43stomach flu on the Friday, what was your
13:45schedule that day?
13:46Really?
13:47Okay.
13:48Um
13:51what would have been my schedule? Just a
13:53standard schedule in the office.
13:54Okay.
13:55So, uh
13:57office brief in the morning, couple of
13:59uh
14:02couple of meetings. I can't remember
14:03what the specifics were going to be.
14:06Okay. So, um, Thursday night you slept
14:09at Tweed or you
14:11Yep.
14:11All right. And what did you do Thursday
14:13during the day?
14:15Thursday during the day I was at the
14:16base again.
14:19Um,
14:21I think it was a fairly standard day. I
14:23can't recall exactly, but uh,
14:27yeah, nothing. I was not flying, so I
14:29was at base. So, I would have gone in
14:31early in the morning, back in the
14:32evening again.
14:33Okay.
14:34The method of gathering pretext is then
14:36focused on the murder of Marie France
14:38Como. Okay.
14:38Now, I'm not not going to walk you
14:40through November, but I'm going to take
14:41you to a date that's probably pretty
14:42fresh in your mind. Uh uh the day that
14:44uh that Marie Fran's com
14:47um do you remember how you found out?
14:49I do. Yeah. I was sent an email. Um
14:54well, as soon as the uh the off staff
14:56and the base learned, they told me Okay.
15:00So, I got an email. I can't remember if
15:02it was late at night, early in the
15:03morning. It was certainly I saw it uh I
15:06want to say first thing in the morning
15:07because I had just come back from
15:08Ottawa. I was in Ottawa for um
15:14um a set of meetings on one of the days.
15:17I can't remember what what day of the
15:18week we're talking about, but uh
15:21yeah. No, I mean obviously one of your
15:23people gets killed, it gets your
15:25attention. So,
15:26absolutely.
15:26I very much remember that coming in. And
15:29how did you know Marie France Ko?
15:32I'd only met her once. Um,
15:35she was on a crew. Uh, I was on just
15:37after I got to the base.
15:38Okay. Do you know uh roughly when that
15:42happened
15:43that we were on the same crew?
15:44The time you met her the one time there.
15:46Yeah,
15:46it was soon after I got to the base. So,
15:48uh I I don't remember exactly, but I
15:51would say in the first couple of months.
15:53So, August, September.
15:55Okay. Yeah.
15:56Um, now you got that email notifying you
15:58that something had happened.
16:00Uh, do you have uh any kind of a a clear
16:03recollection as to how your schedule was
16:04going that week?
16:08Well, I can't remember what again what
16:11day that uh the message came in. Just a
16:14second.
16:15Um,
16:22no. I can't remember what day of the
16:24week, but I um
16:27I just think there was a whole bunch of
16:28activity spun up as a result. Obviously,
16:34I can't remember the day of the week.
16:36Um, this was the third time in quick
16:39succession the colonel stated that he
16:41couldn't remember the answer to the
16:42question. A normal interaction between
16:44two parties would most often elicit the
16:46person posing the question to reassure
16:48the individual it was directed at.
16:50Statements along the lines of, "Don't
16:52worry if you can't remember, we'll move
16:54on." Or, "It was a long time ago. It
16:56must be difficult to recollect," would
16:58be afforded as a form of consolation and
17:00to also break the uncomfortable silence.
17:02Even during a legitimate witness
17:04statement, some form of emotional
17:06assistance or encouragement will often
17:07be given, especially to someone in the
17:09midst of recollecting a distressing
17:11moment or time period from the past. On
17:13this occasion, there is no such
17:15reassurance from the detective
17:16whatsoever. Only a stoic gaze and not a
17:19single shift in body posture during the
17:21moments of silence.
17:27I'm just trying to think through the
17:28news reports I read.
17:32No, I'm sorry. I can't remember what day
17:33it was, but uh
17:39what I what we learned after the fact
17:41was that the um the MPs had learned
17:47uh of her death, I think quite a bit
17:50after her body had been discovered.
17:52Okay.
17:54So
17:57I think what I know I'm sorry just a
17:59second.
18:05So if we were to uh to you know do a
18:08similar uh investigation in your
18:10background, is there is there anything
18:12you can think of that anybody may have
18:13misinterpreted or anything uh in your
18:16history that somebody might say Russell
18:18Williams uh
18:20absolutely
18:20did this?
18:21No.
18:21Okay.
18:22be very boring.
18:24What's that?
18:24It'll be very boring.
18:26All right. Because essentially, that's
18:28what I'm looking at is that uh um
18:32you seem like a very intelligent person.
18:34I think you can see how um a surprise
18:37like that would um certainly some alarm
18:40bells in our investigation, right? Okay.
18:42Um
18:44so, the next thing we need to cover off
18:46is uh well, I'll just ask you this
18:48straight out. Uh given the types of
18:50crimes we're investigating, uh do you
18:52get much chance to uh to watch
18:54television shows, CSI, things like that?
18:57I do watch uh I prefer Law and Order,
19:00but I do watch CSI occasionally as well.
19:01Okay. So, you have an idea of obviously
19:03the forensic capabilities, things like
19:05that are out there.
19:07What would you be willing to give me
19:09today to help me um move past you in
19:11this investigation?
19:15What uh what you need? Well, um, would
19:18you be willing to supply things like
19:20fingerprints, blood samples, things like
19:22that? Okay. Um,
19:24the only two pieces of evidence that
19:25police had acquired at this point in
19:27time were the tire tracks and the
19:29footprints outside the missing person's
19:31residence. What many are unaware of is
19:33that the DNA found on Marie France Como
19:36was not admissible as her body was
19:37highly decomposed at the time of
19:39discovery, thus making any genetic
19:41analysis virtually impossible, as this
19:43was before the era of the latest DNA
19:46testing method known as next generation
19:48sequencing. Only one of the sexual
19:50assault victims had male DNA found on
19:52the back of her neck. Yet, this was by
19:54far the least severe attack, which falls
19:56into the bracket of forcible
19:58confinement, and had no exterior
20:00elements connected to the more serious
20:01infractions of murder and rape. The
20:03evidence of the tire tracks would be
20:05easily refuted by a defense team, as
20:07they were a relatively common brand for
20:09off-road vehicles, which would
20:11extinguish the BRD standard of proof,
20:13also known as guilt beyond all
20:15reasonable doubt. The only significant
20:17piece of evidence were the footprints.
20:19It was the singular and emblematic
20:21element linked to the culpability of
20:23Jessica Lloyd's disappearance. And
20:25notice how the colonel looks down at his
20:27own boots as he gives his response to
20:29the following request.
20:30Footwear impressions.
20:32Yeah.
20:32Okay. All right. Um I think that's what
20:34we're going to we're going to ask you to
20:36do. All right.
20:38I told you when I came in here uh that
20:39I'm going to treat you with respect and
20:41I've asked you to do the same for me.
20:43Um,
20:45we talked about the whole idea of how
20:47we've uh approached you here. Okay. Uh,
20:50the trying to be as just read as
20:52possible.
20:53Okay. But the problem is, Russell is
20:56every time I walk out of this room,
20:58there's another issue that comes up.
20:59Okay? And it's not issues that point
21:02away from you. It's issues that point at
21:03you. Okay? And I want I want you to see
21:05what I mean. All right?
21:10This is the footwear impression
21:15of the person who approached
21:18the rear of Jessica Lloyd's house.
21:21Mhm.
21:21On the evening of the 28th and 29th of
21:24January. Okay.
21:25Cuz essentially when you're dealing with
21:26footwear impressions, um we have a
21:29gentleman on the OP who's uh basically
21:31worldrenowned. His name is John Norman.
21:34And essentially with footwware
21:35impressions, uh, you're in a situation
21:38where you're you're pretty much in the
21:40area of of fingerprints. Okay.
21:43All of the previous affirmations were
21:45fabricated for the sole purpose of
21:46heightening psychological pressure.
21:48Footprints are not even close to being
21:50as indistinguishable nor incriminating
21:52as fingerprints.
21:53This is a photocopy of the boot that uh
21:57you took off your foot.
21:58Yeah.
21:59Just a little while ago. Okay. Now, I'm
22:02not an expert in footwear impressions,
22:04so I rely on the experts.
22:06Footwear impressions are very much like
22:08uh like fingerprint comparisons. Okay,
22:11you take a look at this print. And
22:13again, this is one print. This person
22:15walked through. There's several
22:17different prints to compare. So, we're
22:18going to get features off of one print
22:20to compare, features off of another
22:21print to compare.
22:23These are identical.
22:29Okay.
22:31Your vehicle drove up the side of
22:33Jessica Lloyd's house.
22:36Your boots walked to the back of Jessica
22:39Lloyd's house on the evening of the 28th
22:42and 29th of January.
22:44Okay. You want discretion.
22:47We need to have some honesty. Okay.
22:50Because this is this is getting out of
22:52control really fast, Russell.
22:55Okay. Really really fast.
22:59[Music]
23:12This is getting beyond my control.
23:16All right. I came in here a few hours
23:19ago
23:21and I called you the way I called you
23:22today because I wanted to give you the
23:23benefit of doubt.
23:24Mhm. But you and I both know
23:27you were at Jessica Lloyd's house, and I
23:30need to know why.
23:38[Music]
24:02I don't know what to say. It's
24:04Well, you need to explain it because
24:06this is the other problem we're having,
24:08Russell. Okay. Again, these decisions
24:10are made by me.
24:12Right now, there's a search warrant
24:14being executed at your residence in
24:16Ottawa. Okay. So, your wife now knows
24:19what's going on.
24:21Search was being executed that day. Your
24:23residence in Tweed and your vehicle's
24:26been seized. Okay.
24:28You and I both know they're going to
24:30find evidence that links you to these
24:34situations.
24:36Okay. You and I both know that the
24:38unknown offender male
24:43on Marie France Como's body is going to
24:46be matched to you quite possibly before
24:49the evening's over.
24:51Okay. This is a major investigation. The
24:54Center of Forensic Sciences on call 24
24:56hours a day helping us with this. M
25:00your opportunity to take some control
25:03here and to have some explanation that
25:07anybody is going to believe
25:09is
25:12quickly expiring.
25:16Okay,
25:19Russell
25:20Mhm.
25:21listen to me for a second. Okay. When
25:23that evidence comes in, when that DNA
25:25match, when that phone rings and
25:27somebody knocks on this door,
25:31your credibility is gone. Okay? Because
25:34this is how credibility works. All
25:36right? And I know you're an intelligent
25:37person and you probably don't need to
25:38hear this explanation, but I also know
25:40your mind's racing right now. Okay? Cuz
25:42I've sat across a lot of people in your
25:44position over the years. Okay?
25:46The bottom line is is that as soon as we
25:49get that that piece of evidence that
25:51solidifies it, DNA. Okay. As soon as the
25:55expert
25:57in footwear impressions, the expert in
25:59tire impressions calls and says, "Yes,
26:02I've examined those and they're a
26:04match."
26:04Mhm.
26:07It's all over. Because as soon as that
26:09happens,
26:11where's your credibility? Where's your
26:13believability,
26:17Russell?
26:19You know there's only one option. What
26:21do you What do you What other option is
26:23there?
26:24What's the option?
26:26Well, I don't think you want the cold
26:28blooded psychopath option.
26:34I might be wrong.
26:38Okay? Because don't get me wrong, I've
26:39met guys who actually kind of enjoyed
26:41the notoriety. Got off on it.
26:45Got off on having that label.
26:48Bernardo being one of them.
26:50I don't see that in you. If I saw that
26:52in you, I wouldn't be back in here
26:53talking to you, quite frankly.
27:02But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you got me
27:04fooled. I don't know.
27:11This is over
27:15and it can have a
27:18a bad ending.
27:20where Jessica's parents continue
27:24to wonder where her daughter's lying.
27:32And I don't know. I mean, obviously,
27:34there's a huge search still underway,
27:36and it'll continue.
27:39It'll continue until her body's found.
27:41Once that happens,
27:44then I don't know what other cards you
27:45would have to play.
27:55What are we going to do?
28:07What are we going to do?
28:14Call me Russ, please.
28:16Okay.
28:20What are we going to do, Russ?
28:32Is Jessica somewhere we can find her
28:34easily?
28:36Like is this something where I can make
28:37a call and tell somebody to go to a
28:39location and they're going to find her
28:40or is this something where we have to go
28:42and and uh
28:45take a [ __ ]
29:05Russ,
29:07maybe maybe this would help. Can you
29:09tell me what the issue is you're
29:11struggling with?
29:27It's hard to believe this is happening.
29:33Why is that?
29:37Why is it hard to believe?
29:45Russ, is there anything you want from
29:47me?
29:49Is there anything you want me to
29:50explain?
29:53Is there something missing that you're
29:54struggling with that I can shed some
29:57light on for you?
30:05I'm struggling with how upset my wife is
30:08right now.
30:10This investigation
30:12will end up costing no less than $10
30:14million.
30:17Easy.
30:21And they will say no to nothing.
30:25Any request
30:27this major case manager makes on this
30:29case, they've already been told it's
30:32approved. Don't even bother asking.
30:38So, what am I doing, Russ?
30:41I put my best foot forward here for you,
30:43bud.
30:51I really have. I don't I don't know what
30:53else to do to to m make you understand
30:55the impact of what's happening here.
31:00Do we talk?
31:04I want to um
31:09minimize the impact on my wife.
31:11So do I.
31:16So how do we do that?
31:18Well, we start by telling the truth.
31:25So where is she?
31:49got a map.
31:51Um, is she close to where she lives?
31:53I've got maps of that general area.
31:56Which town is she near? Why don't we
31:58start there?
32:00I'm not sure. If you give me a map of U
32:04that covers Caligar down to the highway
32:09and over to Tweed
32:12and stuff. I'll show you. Let me see
32:15what I got here. I might have something.
32:18Is she inside? Outside.
32:24Okay. Is she close to a road?
32:25Yep.
32:26All right.
32:28Um,
32:30is it something where is she is she
32:32buried or is she somewhere where if you
32:33walked there you would you would fairly
32:35easily see her?
32:36Can't see her.
32:38Okay. Okay. I'll be right back. Okay. Do
32:40you want any water or anything?
32:43Sure.
32:43Okay. I'll be right back.
32:49How long has she been there for?
32:51[Applause]
32:56A little over a week. Was it fairly
32:58quick from the time
33:01she left?
33:03Friday night.
33:05Friday night.
33:06Yeah.
33:06So, where was she between Thursday night
33:08and Friday night
33:10in tweet
33:11with you?
33:12Yeah.
33:14How long was she alive for?
33:21Almost 24 hours. Not quite.
33:24Okay.
33:26Russ,
33:28you're doing the right thing here.
33:32Okay,
33:35Barry, the obvious question I'm going to
33:37have for you is
33:39[Music]
33:41when they go there, and they'll be there
33:42shortly.
33:43Mhm.
33:43They're going to find her.
33:45Oh, yeah.
33:46What do you want to talk about?
33:50Guess it's uh pretty wide open now.
33:53Yeah.
33:53What do you want to know? Well, do you
33:56want to work forwards or backwards?
34:00Doesn't matter.
34:02Why don't we start with Jessica?
34:06How does that start for you?
34:11Um,
34:13I saw her in her house on her treadmma
34:19Wednesday night, I guess.
34:23Then I noticed she wasn't um
34:26there Thursday.
34:30So I got into the house, look around
34:38then um
34:40and then left.
34:43Notice she'd come home.
34:47So I went back in.
34:52through the uh back patio door
34:56while she was sleeping. Okay.
35:00Marie France uh com
35:10there was an open window in the basement
35:12of her uh her house when she was away.
35:17I went in there a couple of nights
35:19before she came home,
35:23looked around. I went back in there late
35:27at night when she was at home.
35:29Was on the phone in her bedroom.
35:32She actually discovered me in the
35:34basement.
35:38She was trying to get her cat to come
35:39upstairs and the cat was in the basement
35:42seen me and was fixated on me in the
35:44corner. She couldn't get the cat up. So,
35:47uh,
35:49she came downstairs to try and get the
35:51cat. And
35:53I'm not sure why she, uh, came over to
35:56me. I guess the cat was staring at me.
35:58And she was wondering why the cat was
35:59staring at
36:04the lights were on.
36:06So, when she spotted me, I
36:11had the same flashlight, but I subdued
36:14her.
36:19tied her up upstairs
36:30and uh strangled her
36:35later in the morning.
36:38Why do you think these things happen?
36:50Have you spent much time thinking about
36:51that?
36:53About why?
36:54Yeah.
36:56Yeah.
37:01But I don't have the answers.

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of The Interrogation of Col. Russell Williams by JCS - Criminal Psychology, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 5,381 words across 929 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.