CANADA Canada - The Woodland Rapist of Southern Ontario, 1992-1995 *Arrest*

[dotr]

It's just outside Collingwood ... i think only a few kms

Probably not related as it goes back a lot of years (am guessing the perp would be mid late 50s or early 60s now), but there was another terrible case in the Orangeville/Georgetown area around 1972. I worked in Toronto with the victim's dad, but never knew the perp's name (i think it was not published because his victim was a young teen). The perp and his wife were attending a wedding where the girl's parents were also attending. Perp feigned a headache so he and his wife left to go home; then he went out again alone on the pretense of needing fresh air. He went to the victim's family home in Georgetown where the girl was babysitting, tricked her into opening the door by saying he had car trouble and asked to use the phone. She initially refused, but iirc, he came back again and when she opened the door, he stabbed her multiple times and left her for dead.

His courageous young victim survived, but was left blinded in one eye. I never heard the outcome of the trial as I had moved out of the area. There was certainly enough evidence, so am sure he would have been found guilty.

How horrible for this young girl and her family,I hope the perp is still in jail but somehow I think not. Georgetown (if it is the place I am thinking of) is a very charming town with a horseback riding facility in the area...

 

[Summersolstice]

Comments of note:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhfUMhn8HrU

 

[Sillybilly]

Anyone else see facial similarities?

Composite of WR and pic of RW (unknown date)

 

[antiquegirl]

Anyone else see facial similarities?

Composite of WR and pic of RW (unknown date)

Sorry, SB. I see only the most superficial similarity. There is nothing about the WR case that suggests to me that it could possibly be RW.

• Even with a wig, which I find unlikely, the MO is all wrong - RW is not a pedophile. His assault and murder victims were all full-grown women.
  
• RW stalked his victims, mostly struck under cover of darkness, and invaded the victims' homes. He was not an impulsive, random predator.
  
• No freckles are visible on RW, nor were mentioned in any articles about him.
  
• He does not have "baggy eyes".
  
• I doubt RW is capable of ever having been "unkempt", even as a disguise. Come to think of it, no media reports have mentioned that he had ever used a disguise during any his crimes. Camouflage, perhaps, but not a disguise, per se.
  
• Most importantly, he appears much taller and heavier than 5'8" and 140 lbs. To me, he looks at least 6 feet tall and at least 180 lbs. Has anyone found any reports as to these statistics for RW?

There are just too many anomalies here for me to connect these two men.

JMO

 

[Summersolstice]

How horrible for this young girl and her family,I hope the perp is still in jail but somehow I think not. Georgetown (if it is the place I am thinking of) is a very charming town with a horseback riding facility in the area...

I'm sure people in Orangeville haven't forgotten this one, either:

http://www.citizen.on.ca/news/2006-08-31/Columns/031.html

 

[Summersolstice]

The 1994 Brampton incident had me wondering about what brought the WR there. Then I remembered that a famous person had lived with family there the year before. Another coincidence.

 

[Sillybilly]

Sorry, SB. I see only the most superficial similarity. There is nothing about the WR case that suggests to me that it could possibly be RW.

<snipped for space>

While RW's murder and sexual assault victims were older, the one girl that RW stalked/terrorized was 15 y.o, when he could have targeted her mother instead. We are not aware of ages of his other victims. There are some perps called mixed-category killers whose victims are from both sexes and all age groups (Richard Ramirez, Toole and Lucas come to mind)

MO is known to adapt or evolve. We are only aware of RW's recent MO, so who knows if he may have started out one way, and refined his technique over the years as his confidence level changed, and he felt a disguise was no longer necessary. Maybe he only killed people when they could identify him.

IMO, RW has a freckled complexion (which may have faded somewhat with age):

http://www.canada.com/news/2765643.bin?size=620x400

I be afflicted with freckles They're weird little thingers. They can fade with age. They can be prominent at times, and barely perceptible at other times. They can change in appearance within a season ... coming out full-blown after exposure to sun, but then disappearing behind the tan as the tan darkens, then seeming more obvious as the tan fades, then becoming pale as the surrounding skin becomes more pale.

WRT to the WR, I'm not sure how a guy with his hair tied into a pony tail, wearing a yuppyish polo shirt, can look unkempt. IMO, RW looked unkempt in the group pic, with his longer hair and facial hair.

I haven't seen any height or weight stats on RW either. At first I thought he was tall and slim and about 6', but when you compare his height to MEH, he's maybe 4 to 5 inches taller. Not sure on her height either, but in one full-length pic where she is walking down the steps with detectives, she looks short (4th pic down in Wondergirl's post):

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - OPP charge Col. Williams with 82 additional charges

 

[Sillybilly]

The WR also videotaped the attack one of the Oakville victims:

The victim was approached as she walked along a wooded trail in the park located at Dorval Dr. and the QEW. He pulled out a small handgun, pretending he wanted to rob her, and led her into the bush where she was attacked. He also videotaped the assault.

Videotaping was not mentioned in relation to earlier attacks, so it seems the WR was changing his MO. The same Oakville victim was assaulted over a 5 hour period, so it seems the WR was becoming much more brazen in the amount of time spent with his victims and his videotaping of the assault.

 

[Summersolstice]

The WR also videotaped the attack one of the Oakville victims:



Videotaping was not mentioned in relation to earlier attacks, so it seems the WR was changing his MO. The same Oakville victim was assaulted over a 5 hour period, so it seems the WR was becoming much more brazen in the amount of time spent with his victims and his videotaping of the assault.

It does not surprise me that perps change their MOs. It is a myth to think that they always do everything the same way forever. From my reading about the PB judicial inquiry, this is in fact what PB did. The heat was on, so he changed locations. He also started abducting young women and taking them to his home. This change in MO/location is, in fact, part of the reason he went undetected for so long.

All crimes are crimes of opportunity to varying degrees.

I think it's time to step back and review that Toronto Star article:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/726632--cold-case-search-resumes-for-woodland-rapist

LE appears not to be ruling anything out yet, so neither should we.

The Oakville attack in particular seems to be a key to this case, as the victim is the one who provided the description for the composite sketch. That victim was repeatedly attacked over a five-hour period, moved to various locations, tied to a tree and videotaped. The attacker used a "small handgun" for intimidation. I'm sure that LE has noted any similarities with other incidents, including those that have not been disclosed to the public.

LE also hints at stalking, although that point is left rather vague.

As far as RW's height, he was photographed with Peter McKay and General Walt Natynczyk:

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=....+russell+williams&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbs=isch:1

Perspective can play tricks with the eyes, but it is obvious that he is shorter than WN, with the wedge cap and his slimmer build giving him the appearance of greater height. It has also been said that people with large heads appear taller on camera, which is why it is a desireable trait for TV news reporters. But I digress...

 

[SomeGirlOnTheNet]

Sorry, SB. I see only the most superficial similarity. There is nothing about the WR case that suggests to me that it could possibly be RW.

• Even with a wig, which I find unlikely, the MO is all wrong - RW is not a pedophile. His assault and murder victims were all full-grown women.
  
• RW stalked his victims, mostly struck under cover of darkness, and invaded the victims' homes. He was not an impulsive, random predator.
  
• No freckles are visible on RW, nor were mentioned in any articles about him.
  
• He does not have "baggy eyes".
  
• I doubt RW is capable of ever having been "unkempt", even as a disguise. Come to think of it, no media reports have mentioned that he had ever used a disguise during any his crimes. Camouflage, perhaps, but not a disguise, per se.
  
• Most importantly, he appears much taller and heavier than 5'8" and 140 lbs. To me, he looks at least 6 feet tall and at least 180 lbs. Has anyone found any reports as to these statistics for RW?

There are just too many anomalies here for me to connect these two men.

JMO

Russell Williams was my Wing Commander and I saw him pretty much on a daily basis in HQ and spoke with frequently.

I can tell you with certainty that he is about 6'4" and about 190 lbs (if that). He is quite tall - I looked up at him and I'm about 5'6". He was also VERY fit, slim and trim.

 

[Hazel]

( 1 ) I had always thought that Woodland was closer to Toronto. Could someone please confirm if Woodland is located east of Peterborough, ON? Here is a map showing all 3 cities (Belleville included), unless there is another Woodland?

MAP



( 2 ) This is OT, but I wanted to call your attention to this cold case, where these 2 troubled men from Hamilton, ON (ages 34 & 36) have recently been charged with the murder of Billy Mason, and appears they are allegedly involved in more cases. Not related to the WR, but thought it would be a good idea to read and know about them, and keep them in mind, in case they might be somewhat connected to one of the many other cases we have all been following.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5686928#post5686928

 

[antiquegirl]

( 1 ) I had always thought that Woodland was closer to Toronto. Could someone please confirm if Woodland is located east of Peterborough, ON? Here is a map showing all 3 cities (Belleville included), unless there is another Woodland?

MAP

(RSBM)

The attacks took place in Kitchener, Oakville, and Brampton. The existence of a town by that name is just a coincidence.

But the unkempt predator with the baggy eyes – dubbed the Woodland Rapist because he lured victims into wooded areas ...

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cri...-case-search-resumes-for-woodland-rapist?bn=1

 

[Hazel]

(RSBM)

The attacks took place in Kitchener, Oakville, and Brampton. The existence of a town by that name is just a coincidence.

Thank you AG; now that's a totally different area

.

Made this map in case someone else was wondering the same.

MAP of Woodland Rapists attacks

 

[Summersolstice]

Is this the category that would apply to the Woodland Rapist?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraphilia

 

[Summersolstice]

( 1 ) I had always thought that Woodland was closer to Toronto. Could someone please confirm if Woodland is located east of Peterborough, ON? Here is a map showing all 3 cities (Belleville included), unless there is another Woodland?

MAP



( 2 ) This is OT, but I wanted to call your attention to this cold case, where these 2 troubled men from Hamilton, ON (ages 34 & 36) have recently been charged with the murder of Billy Mason, and appears they are allegedly involved in more cases. Not related to the WR, but thought it would be a good idea to read and know about them, and keep them in mind, in case they might be somewhat connected to one of the many other cases we have all been following.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5686928#post5686928

Maybe they meant to say "Woodlands".

 

[deputydawg2]

Anyone else see facial similarities?

Composite of WR and pic of RW (unknown date)

SB, look at the picture at link below. I clicked on the cached version and look what showed! It's a bio of RW and an AP hippie pic of him dressed in black coat and black shirt.

http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=col+russell+williams&d=4635330702478330&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=2eaa2969,4d248421

I'm no good at screen shots or transferring pics; so I'd appreciate any of you experts doing that for us. May not be possible as AP has all kinds of locks on their stuff.

 

[deputydawg2]

Too late to edit my post immediately above; star traveller over at RW's OPP thread tells me that the picture shown beside RW's bio at the link I gave is that of the actor, Russell Crowe. The picture had no identifying caption and was beside the bio article so I presumed there was some connection.....weird.

Sorry, folks.
dd2

 

[Hazel]

Too late to edit my post immediately above; star traveller over at RW's OPP thread tells me that the picture shown beside RW's bio at the link I gave is that of the actor, Russell Crowe. The picture had no identifying caption and was beside the bio article so I presumed there was some connection.....weird.

Sorry, folks.
dd2

LOL dd2, that picture is tagged, so if you place your mouse over that pic, something that looks like a label appears and it says who he is. I guess it is because of his name "Russell" that Google picked up that image.
He is from New Zealand, and won an Oscar for the movie "Gladiator", I think he has been nominated 3 times, perhaps that's why he is doing those hand signals? Unless it's the "Scouts" salute LOL.
I wish we had more time like before to edit our posts It used to be 24 hours, then I read on a board that they shortened that time to 2 hours, but I have personally experienced that it is only 60 minutes. On one occasion, I clicked the edit button a couple minutes before the hour, but by the time I finished editing, and clicked "Submit" it was 1:01 minute, so it didn't let me edit
In other words, it is less than 1 hour.

 

[deputydawg2]

Thanks for all, Hazel. I agree that more time allowed to edit would be appreciated.

 

[LadyL]

hit the alert (little red triangle in top right corner of the post) and ask a moderator to edit the post for you - they will also edit any posts that quoted yours 'cause they're nice like that