The Canadian military said Friday it had taken a highly unusual step of burning the uniforms of former colonel Russell Williams, who was convicted of murder and sexual assault. Cmdr. Hubert Genest said Williams's clothes were burned the previous day at CFB Trenton Canada's largest military airbase that Williams once commanded.
Williams was sentenced last month to life in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two sexual assaults and 82 counts of breaking-and-entering, during which he stole hundreds of undergarments from women and young girls. His sentence carries no possibility of parole for 25 years. Genest said uniforms are usually retrieved when someone leaves the military but Williams' clothing was burned because much of it had his name on it. Genest said normally the military tries to recycle or reuse clothing.