Ruminations

Blog dedicated primarily to randomly selected news items; comments reflecting personal perceptions

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Full Disclosure Demanded

One cannot even begin to guess at the kind of mysterious relationship that must have existed between Mary Elizabeth Harriman and her husband, Russell Williams. A marriage of convenience? A relationship offering companionship when and if required on certain occasions? It was, nonetheless a relationship of long standing. And by all accounts a mutually agreeable one, with evidence as expressed by former friends and acquaintances, of affection one toward the other.

And obviously that affection and that long-standing relationship did not deter Williams from pursuing his wrought, sinister agenda that demanded an entirely different kind of satisfaction, gained from the sadistic pursuit of women and children, haunting their homes and coveting what they wore, things they treasured, as mementos of his bestially tormented intrigues. Williams' horribly twisted psyche compelling him toward destructive forays into innocent lives marked him as a demented psychopath.

Who would not want to be quit of a marriage contract entered with such a human monstrosity as he represents? So it is a logical conclusion that one make a clean break. He will serve out the rest of his natural life incarcerated in a maximum security federal prison. At least we can hope he will. There he can entertain his mind and go about relishing whatever he can find of value in the life left to him. That option was entirely removed for the two anguished young women he tortured and slaughtered.

The women upon whom he preyed, whose torment will never leave their memories and who must live with the reality of the nightmare he inflicted upon them will also be left with little choices in their lives but to endure the unendurable. One of them at least, has launched a lawsuit against Williams and his material assets. And seemingly to protect those assets which must be considerable, Williams and his wife decided - conspired some might say, under the circumstances - to sign over most of the valuable assets in her name.

Now, as part of the divorce proceedings and any settlements that accompany them an Ottawa judge has determined that all the details involved in the domestic contract transferring property to Harriman's name should be disclosed. A lawyer for the Citizen has argued that details of the transfer of assets are of great interest to the public and as such should not be withheld. It is a matter of a fraudulent undertaking in the transfer of assets inclusive of title to an investment in a home of great value.

"There's a public interest out there in knowing what former colonel Williams did with his assets six weeks after being charged. What's so secret? What are they afraid the public might learn?" What indeed? There does not appear to be anything extraordinary in the proceedings themselves, since divorce proceedings tend to be public. In this particular instance, however, given the gravely hideous acts of this murderer, it does not appear to be quite on that Harriman and Williams be granted "100 percent secrecy".

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