Homicide-accused officer on suicide watch

NAPANEE, Ontario, April 5 (UPI) -- A Canadian military colonel charged with two murders and two sexual assaults attempted suicide during the weekend, prison sources told the QMI Agency.

Russell Williams, 47, was rescued in his cell by prison employees early Saturday in the Quinte Detention Center in Napanee, Ontario, after attempting to suffocate himself, sources told the news agency.

Williams had jammed his door lock with cardboard and aluminum foil and then written a suicide note on a wall using mustard, the report said.

The former commander of Canadian Forces Base Trenton, the largest in Canada, then pushed a cardboard toilet paper roll stuffed with foil and cardboard down his throat, sources said.

His note reportedly said he has put all of his affairs in order and can't stand the pressure of facing his next court appearance April 29.

He now has a guard watching him on a 24-hour basis, the report said.

Williams was arrested Feb. 8 and charged with two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of two women, and the sexual assaults of two others in their homes dating back to September.