Let me ask you this, Smyth continued. After thirty seconds of silence, the colonels head started to nod. I only met her once; she was on a crew I was on just after I got to the base, he said. Okay, Ill be right back.. Williams is considered one of the most heinous criminals in Canadian history. "In a nutshell, an interview is fact gathering, asking somebody to tell you their version of events, tell you their story and we try and sit back and allow them to do that without challenging them or interrupting them. After being questioned for eight hours, the woman confessed. Brent Snook, a forensic psychologist and professor at Memorial University, said Smyth's interview was highly professional and non-confrontational in nature. We try not to divulge any information we may have until we feel it becomes necessary, until essentially the interview turns into more of an interrogation.". Williams raped her and made her pose for photographs. "I just watched as they peeled the layers away and started presenting evidence, and found it quite fascinating the way it sort of segued into a confession," Perry told CTV's Canada AM in a recent interview. Williams leaned his head forward and furrowed his brows, paying close attention as the detective slowly revealed his hidden cards. I hope so, Williams mumbled, his face projecting an unspoken arrogance, as though he was trying to keep from smiling. But he said some suspects need to see hard evidence before they will open up. Lloyds ordeal continued until about 8:15 p.m., when Williams cracked her skull with a flashlight and strangled her with a piece of rope. Jim Smyth joined York Regional Police in 1989. The looming DNA test that will inevitably identify him as being a killer. Follow Greg McArthur on Twitter: @McarthurGregOpens in a new window. My role as the manager is to supervise a great team of Instructors, Course Administrators and the. "I knew that we had finally found, or I believed we had finally found, Victoria Stafford.". He was inspired to undertake the project in 2015 after former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps released a report that saidsexual misconduct in the Canadian military is "endemic.". No, Williams said, still sitting with his arms folded in front. . Lifetime hobby: OPP Detective Sgt. Call me Russ, please. His congenial tone finally indicated a readiness to move forward. Used primarily by hunters, there were no homes or other buildings anywhere along the road. Perhaps the most infamous interrogation in Canadian history was OPP Det. The detective told him that further efforts had been taken to identify the vehicle responsible for making the tracks, including collecting witness reports. "Its a combination of the two. Ontario Provincial Police ~ Peterborough Detachment. Williams hunches his shoulders. Some werent aware at the time that their homes had been violated, or hadnt noticed anything missing. On March 21, the jury watched avideotape of a May 2009 police interviewinwhich Ontario Provincial Police Det. And essentially with footwear impressions, youre in a situation where youre pretty much in the area of fingerprints.. When police raided his two homes, they not only uncovered a neatly catalogued trove of women's underwear and videotapes of the slayings, but hundreds of digital photos of the cat in a variety of. Close to a minute of stark silence passed as Williams sat stock-still. James Smith. Media outlets praised Smyth for following his "hunch," though the detective shrugged it off, saying that the police had followed "hundreds of hunches" that hadn't yielded anything. He then elaborated on the difference between and interview and an interrogation and the techniques used. Eventually he began to take breaks from his seat, leaning against the wall for long periods of time. The detective asked if he remembered the model, but Williams said he didnt. In 2006, he completed the Canadian Police College polygraph examiner's course, resulting in his certification as a forensic polygraph examiner and forensic interviewer. . Detective Sergeant Jim Van Allen, a criminal profiler with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), assessed the information on the Orleans break-ins and deduced that as the intruder continued to evade detection, he was becoming more aggressive. McClintic, 21, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April 2011. Smyth had chosen to use logic as his primary weapon of choice against the colonels cognitive military mind, but was now targeting something else he held in high regard: his personal and professional reputation. Justice on Fire is OConnors detailed account of the terrible explosion that led to the firefighters deaths and the terrible injustice that followed. or is this something where we have to go and take a walk?. I was hoping not, said the man who was once called a shining bright star of the Canadian military. . Okay, Russ, youre doing the right thing here, the detective assured him as he offered his open hand to the confessed killer. Williamswas sentenced in October 2010 and is serving two life terms in prison for the murders of Comeau and Lloyd, and additional sentences for 86 other charges. The bootprint and tire tracks at a murder scene match his boots and personal vehicle. The colonel studied the maps and plotted the specific spot where he had hidden Jessicas body. Williams showed no interest and declined his offer. [5] The detectives response was not in keeping with standard protocol for dealing with a suspect who, like Williams, displays body language that suggests a confession is imminent. Smyth has also taught forensic interviewing and forensic behavioral science at Toronto's Seneca College. On February 7, Williams was interrogated by OPP investigator Detective Superintendent Jim Smyth and confronted with the evidence of tire tracks and boot prints at Lloyd's home. Elliot Leyton, a Memorial University professor who has authored several studies on serial killers, said Williams "is intelligent enough to know that they had him.". Moreover, Williams was wearing the boots hed worn the night of Lloyds disappearance, which were matched to footprints found in the snow outside her house. So as I said before, any point today you feel the need to speak to a lawyer, you just let me know and we can take you to a room where you can do that in private, okay?[4]. Doug Bradley. . That's what you're going through right now," Smyth is seen telling McClintic. Jim Smyth joined York Regional Police in 1989. Absolutely not, he said, re-crossing his arms and shifting himself forward in his seat. The off-duty colonel removed his bright yellow jacket, draped it over the back of the chair, and placed his black leather gloves on the desktop before sitting down. And Im pretty sure the answers dont matter., Smyth could have disagreed, but instead kept the momentum going. Video clips and nearly 3,000 photographs included depictions of the Tweed assaults and the murders of Comeau and Lloyd. . if, for whatever reason, you didnt end up on our radar so to speak, do you think it would have happened again?. This article was published more than 12 years ago. . Williams vehemently denied being aware of such an order, and became defensive at the suggestion that it had been given by someone under his command. Sometimes Williams walked in through unlocked doors. . .. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. CSI officer couldve come in three, four days from now, did some swabs here, and he wouldve found your DNA and my DNA. "It wasn't hard, so it wasn't a rock. Really? The pitch of Williamss voice rose as the word stretched from his lips. McClintic told them she and Rafferty had stopped at a Home Depot in the city, where she had purchased garbage bags and a hammer before they drove to a rural area. Some places you get arrested and executed on the same day.". Retired OPP investigator Dave Perry said it is compelling to watch as Smyth calmly presses Williams on his links to the crimes. Colonel Williams sniffled. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. ?. Jessicas body, meanwhile, had remained lying in the woods for close to a week, her bleeding head wrapped in towels, amongst scavenging coyotes, brush wolves, and foxes. For all of them, including Smyth, the question of consent and traumaare at the core of the One Little Goat Theatre Company and Seelig's initiative. ., It was a carefully crafted statement that offered the colonel a modicum of control over the events that were rapidly transpiring around him. McClintic had also worked with a sketch artist to provide a composite sketch of the house. But karma and society would soon punish Williams for his crude and horrifying actions. Perry said that's when Smyth takes control and repeatedly suggests that the evidence points to Williams as the killer. And they are absolutely not considering these whatsoever," Dafoe said. She was in the woods, behind a rock on the east side of Cary Road, forty feet from the roadway and exactly 0.7 kilometers south of East Hungerford Road. Can I assume youre going to be discreet? he asked Smyth firmly, with the first hint of stress and irritation apparent in his voice. But loved ones of the victims see the production of Smyth/Williamsat Theatre Passe Muraille differently. But perhaps the most valuable aspect of the interview was not his confession, but rather his admission as to where he had secreted the large caches of evidence that may otherwise have gone undiscovered. He felt cornered, and his fight-or-flight responses were in obvious conflict with each other. To order Less than five hours after he had driven to police headquarters in the same SUV he had used to abduct Jessica Lloyd and strode into the interview room wearing the same boots that he had used the night of her attack, the truth had finally surfaced. He was read his formal rights to counsel and caution, and given a further opportunity to consult with a lawyer, which he declined. Williams spoke frankly and matter-of-factly, showing no emotion as he described how he had planned and carried out the rapes and murders. Williams leaned forward and ran his tongue along his teeth. As he sensed an imminent confession, the detective shuffled his chair closer and purposefully mirrored the colonels pose. Beginning in May 2008, a rash of similar crimes occurred in the vicinity of Williamss home in Orleans. That suggests that Smyth had two possible levers to pull in the Williams interrogation: a growing mountain of evidence andWilliams' concern about his wife's reaction to the news that she was married to a killer. Marie-France has been deeply missed by all that knew her. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Williams unfolded his arms and leaned forward, his interest keenly focused on the photographs before him. I do hope that you find a way to succeed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. We were trying to gather information from Miss McClintic, again, assess her credibility. Police obtained judicial authorization to have her out searching with them, pointing out landmarks that she remembered. Did you like or dislike these women?. She did not know what was coming. but maybe Im wrong. Sure, the colonel responded, rather foolishly. . This is one for the history books, in terms of a police interrogation.". Simpson. Smyth gave him another chance to complete the voluntary exercise and left him alone again. In 2003, Smyth completed the International Criminal Investigative Analysis Fellowship Understudy Program, resulting in . Committed to his decision, the colonel offered to draw diagrams for the officer showing exactly where he had hidden memory cards and two hard drives full of evidence at his Ottawa homehoping that police would then be less intrusive with their search efforts. Their goal was to cover all aspects of true crime: Read More, Contents Copyright 1998-2020 by Crime Magazine | J. Patrick O'Connor Editor | E-mail CrimeMagazine.com, Designed by Orman. Okay, um, footwear impressions? Smyth continued. The detective broke the cold silence. "If there's anything we should be giving attention to is to the life of Jess and the life of Marie Comeau or all the other women who were affected by him," Dafoe said. Have you spent much time thinking about it?, Yeah, but I dont know the answers. Williams took a long pause, his eyes glazed. ., What they also do to try and identify the type of vehicle is they look at what they call the wheelbase width, the officer told him, explaining that various makes and models have different measurements. An artistic Special Olympics athlete recently honored an Iowa State Patrol officer who died in the line of duty with a drawing and letter. L-R: Lou Johns, Bryan Pendleton and Jimmy McCaskill. The cop might bring in a box, which is empty, but he pretends it's full of evidence incriminating him, so the person begins to think, 'this is hopeless, we're screwed,'" said Foord. I know you wont be able to believe me, but it is true. When Detective-Sergeant Smyth returned to the interrogation room, Williams was sitting with his arms folded and his legs leisurely stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Insp. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Ever been interviewed by the police in a room like this before? Smyth asked. Photo by Northern News / KL With no other evidence against him, Cory Armishaw, 26, was cleared of second-degree murder over the 2006 shaking death of three-month-old Jaydin Lindeman in Guelph, Ont. But sensing that relinquishing control would be a difficult step for the career military man who had been trained to remain tough and withstand intense interrogation tactics by enemy forces, he offered the colonel a concession. His interest was working in the Violent Crimes Division. . September 21, 1995. Seelig said, "I'm not staging a conflict," the production was not meant as a provocation. Seelig said it's timely to look at issues of misogyny and violence against women. Williams was stripped of rank and dismissed from the Canadian Forces. affairs, he said. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. However, 15 of the 25 Orleans families whose homes were broken into reported the crimes to the Ottawa Police Department. "He just thought he was going to outsmart everybody else and talk his way right out of it," Mendelson told CTV Toronto after viewing the video of the confession. Super Bowl-winning athlete talks football, his medical career and the importance of skin care. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. So am I, said Smyth. I along with the entire state of Iowa grieve for his family and friends as they try to cope with this devastating loss. I dont know what to say, its, um. At the heart of the case is the brutal death of the dear little girl a whole country came to know in the spring and summer of 2009, Victoria (Tori) Stafford, The wife of serial sex killer Russell Williams has decided not to seek a stay of a recent court decision rejecting her legal appeal to prevent media coverage of her intended divorce proceedings. Jim Smyth, the star Ontario Provincial Police interrogator who famously pried a confession from sex killer Russell Williams, has a reputation that demands a screenplay. sexual misconduct in the Canadian military, OPP officer whose mastery in interrogation, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Detective Inspector (formerly Detective Sergeant), "Top OPP interrogator credited with McClintic, Williams confessions | CBC News", "Famed detective Jim Smyth's interrogation techniques derail murder case", "Veteran detectives share stories of PTSD", "OPP officer tells of how he discovered Tori Stafford's body", "Christie Blatchford: A sketch and a hunch led Jim Smyth to find Tori Stafford's body", "James Smyth's Order of Merit of the Police Forces Citation", "Detectives in Russell Williams case honoured by Governor General", "James Smyth's Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal Citation", "James Smyth's Police Exemplary Service Medal Citation", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jim_Smyth&oldid=1147621219, This page was last edited on 1 April 2023, at 03:35. When police raided his two homes, they not only uncovered a neatly catalogued trove of women's underwear and videotapes of the slayings, but hundreds of digital photos of the cat in a variety of poses and backdrops. . In that same year, the director received a $10,000 Toronto Arts Council grant as a writer for a book of poetry and his company, which was established in New York in 2002, received $11,000 for a different undertaking in 2015. Perry, who previously worked on cases with Smyth, said the OPP investigator used a "classic way of presenting evidence" during the interrogation. He was introduced to Detective-Sergeant Jim Smyth, a forty-something, slightly bookish, unassuming officer in a dark suit and tie. If this didnt come to the point its at right now. . After Jaydin died, from brain injuries consistent with shaking, police also interrogated Kayla, but failed to pursue inconsistencies in her evidence, Judge Langdon wrote. Williams said he was in a hurry because he had a sick child at home. Get email updates from your favourite authors. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Williams politely reminded the detective that he had already told him that he had been attending a high-level aircraft acquisition meeting in Ottawa that day and did not return to his duties at the base until Wednesday. Age: 43. Skilled in Government, Law Enforcement, Emergency Management, Conflict Resolution, and Presentation. Smith of Peterborough District Headquarters and Detective Sgt. He then explained to the officer that he had killed her on Friday night before flying some troops to California early the next morning. Hundreds of police officers tirelessly worked for months to try to solve the disappearance of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford, but in the end it came down to a veteran officer with a hunch on a Sunday drive. ", Smyth says there is a way to minimize the pain, which starts "by telling the truth.". He had left home later that night, around 8 or 9 p.m., to sleep at the base before flying a crew to California the next morning. The detective, as though trying to land a big fish, continued to pace his efforts by offering his adversary some slack before tactfully reeling him in just a little bit more. Williams sniffed and held his open hand against the side of his bowed face, resting his chin on the heel of his palm. Some of the memory cards were simply stowed in a camera bag, while others were tucked away in a desk drawer in his office. The detective explained how his computers would be forensically analyzed and that no stone would be left unturned. He captured it all on video. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. She was enraged about the staged reading of the murderer's confession to OPP officer Jim Smyth and started a petition to stop the play, which about 2,000 people signed. A notable example is Smyth's nine-hour interrogation of Colonel Russell Williams. . Williams smiled broadly, still chewing his gum, and looked up at one of the ceiling mounted cameras. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. .. At times, Williams became agitated when Smyth would circle between the attacks and end up repeating the same questions several times. Born in Britain, he had immigrated to Canada as a boy. In the months that followed, Williams broke into other residences in Tweed and the. Like the victims' loved ones, Smyth and the OPP decline interviews, in part because of the healing process. Inciting such an argument was a dangerous move for the detective, who risked losing the ground that he had earlier gained. The Ontario Crown announced Monday it will not appeal the Sept. 26 decision of Mr. Justice Kenneth A. Langdon that Det.-Sgt. To order copies of There were about 10 rocks piled on top of Tori's body, ranging in size from about three kilograms to 50 kilograms, court heard. Smyth asked him about what kind of feelings he experienced with Jessica, having spent almost twenty-four hours together. After another long pause, Williams sighed. He wrapped her body in a duvet and left it in her bedroom, where it lay undiscovered for more than 30 hours. got off on having that label, [Paul] Bernardo being one of them. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. . But I cant answer that question.. "If you are trying to create art around this topic then you have to be considering these issues of consent and re-traumatization. Williams showed no emotion as his inner debate continued. It was a clear case of arson, and five people from Marlborough were duly convicted of the crime. And he was right. The video begins with Smyth telling Williams why he has been called in to speak with police. These steps lessen the chances of defense counsel later suggesting that their client had given a false confession. Over the next two hours, Williams repeatedly raped Comeau, beating her viciously if she resisted. . During the brief roadside interrogation, officers saw that the tread of Williamss tires matched those found in the field. Police responded quickly. The detective broke the cold silence . Polygraph operator Det. Chief Instructor at Integrity Interviewing for Investigators Greater Toronto Area, Canada 974 followers 500+ connections Join to follow Integrity Interviewing for Investigators. Yeah, he muttered. . Williams looked bemused. What are we going to do?. Have you ever been read your rights before?, Basically in Canada, as you know, Im sure, we all have our rights guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Smyth said, before he told the colonel that he was not under arrest and was free to leave the building at any time. Mild-mannered in his approach and soft-spoken by nature, Smyth was not the type of fellow one would suspect of being a police officer. Williams often spent time at a cottage he owned on Cosy Cove Lane in the village of Tweed, Ontario, 53 kilometers from Trenton. Wisely, Smyth was careful not to overreact to the horrors he heard. After eliciting more details about the colonels day-long trip to Ottawa and the dinner that he shared with his wife before returning to Tweed that evening, the detective hastily returned to the topic of tires. Sgt. . He looked across the road and saw a laneway, just as McClintic had described it, leading into a farmer's field. So on that July day more than 14 weeks after Tori disappeared outside her elementary school in Woodstock, when Smyth drove down the Concession 6 sideroad southeast of Mount Forest, a house that he saw stopped him in his tracks, he testified Friday at Rafferty's trial. I was in Gatineau, as I said, meeting about the C-17., Okay, now if that is the day you had a meeting in Ottawa, do you remember being at the base on the Monday the twenty third and swiping your card in and out? I think it was a one-day trip. . It was on Feb. 7, at some point during his nine-hour interrogation by the Ontario Provincial Police, that Colonel Russell Williams finally got around to addressing that which had been haunting him. Our blood or our skin cells contain our DNA.. rights reserved. . The Behavior Panel is a task force made up of four of the best body language and behavior profiler experts in the world.Scott Rouse: http://BodyLanguageTactics.com Mark Bowden: http://TruthAndLies.caChase Hughes: http://ChaseHughes.com Greg Hartley: http://BodyLanguageTactics.comthe behaviour panelbody language ghostDerek Van Schaik Believing BruceProfiler Task Forcecrime talk crimetalkforensic psychologyChapters:0:00 Introduction to The Behavior Panel0:40 Jim Smyth Master Interrogator1:34 How did Jim Smyth Become an Interrogator4:22 The Reid Interrogation Technique11:17 Resistance To Interrogation Training13:44 Colonel Russell Williams Interrogation35:20 Getting Your Kids To Tell The Truth#ColonelRusselWilliams #Interrogation #JimSmyth #bodylanguage They look for a way to open up a suspect and to get them to start talking.
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