NEWMARKET, Ont. - A Toronto cop was prepared to bare all to clear himself in the disappearance of his long-time mistress, a Superior Court jury heard Wednesday.
Sgt. Craig Vaughan said Richard Wills, who was the last person to see Linda Mariani alive on Feb. 15, 2002, stripped off his clothes during an interview two days later so that police could inspect him for injuries.
"His behaviour was bizarre. She had only been missing 1� days, her car was still missing and there was nothing medically wrong with her. But he was crying uncontrollably,'' Vaughan said, testifying at Wills' first-degree murder trial in this city north of Toronto.
"He took off his clothes so that I could check his person, to ensure there was nothing. He took off his shirt, pants, shoes and started to take off his underwear. I told him to stop,'' Vaughan recalled.
He said help me, clear me and then I'll help you in every way I can.''
Vaughan said the Toronto cop, who came to York police Richmond Hill station directly from his 14 Division shift, referred to the "brotherhood of police officers probably 30 times'' during their chat.
Vaughan then quoted Wills as saying: "Whatever you do for me, I'll do for you 10-fold.''
Wills has pleaded not guilty and suggests that Mariani died accidentally from a fall.
He admitted entombing her in a garbage bin concealed behind a false wall at his home.
Vaughan said Wills also gave a brief history of his passionate nine-year affair with Mariani, who was once his wife's best friend in the early 1990s.
The trial continues Thursday.
