DID YOU KNOW...
Family Fact
Westergard was wearing his brother's suit when he murdered Run
Interesting Fact
Police were unsure how Proian's home was locked from the inside
International Fact
INTERPOL was called in to help investigate Run's death
THE DISPATCH
The Murders
Donna Anne Proian
- June 23, 1981
- Toronto, Ontario
Ernest William Westergard killed his first victim when he was 30 years old. Donna Anne Proian was well-liked in her former home town of Regina, Saskatchewan. She met her husband at Bible college in Paris, and had settled in to a good life.
On June 23, 1981, Proian was murdered. She was strangled and stabbed in her penthouse apartment. Some of her own clothing was knotted around her neck. She had been stabbed multiple times in the neck. The building had 6 security guards and a security camera system. Police were baffled by how the killer got into the apartment, and how he left. The door was locked from the inside when her husband came home to find her body. There appeared to be no sexual assault and no robbery.
Westergard was a neighbour and came under police suspicion. She was 30 years old.
It was incorrectly repeated in the news that Proian was buried in an unmarked grave. Her grave in her hometown of Estevan, Saskatchewan was marked, but the market had sink into the soft soul. In 2012, the city dug up the maker and put cement under it, to prevent it from sinking again.
Sonia Run
- September 26, 1994
- Mississauga, Ontario
Sonia Run (age listed between 47-51), was beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted in her home. She was found by a neighbour after she had missed an appointment with her husband. Run was killed in the bedroom and left nude on her bathroom floor. She had been sexually assaulted after death, and washed. A cheap clock radio and inexpensive cell phone were taken from the home.
Initial clues for police included a sophisticated home security system and a mysterious white car parked in the neighbourhood. Westergard had met her previously when he sold her carpeting. Later in the day, the killer bought make up to cover the scratches and bruises on the face. At least one online report at the time stated Westergard was her boyfriend. This is probably incorrect, as they misspelled Westergard, and are the only ones reporting it.
DNA & Arrest & Trial
Westergard Arrested for Killing Run
- May 23, 1995
- Don Jail, Toronto, Ontario
Police used DNA evidence during the 8-month investigation. Because Run’s husband was a prominent jeweller, the search for the killer took INTERPOL investigators to Mexico, France, Belgium, Turkey and California. More than 600 interviews were conducted.
Westergard was arrested and charged on May 23, 1995. He was easy for police to find: he was serving time in the Don Jail for another crime
Westergard Gets Life
- May 5, 1998
- Kingston Penitentiary, Kingston, Ontario
Westergard was convicted of first degree murder on May 5, 1998 and sentenced to life in prison. He was eligible for parole in 25 years.
Appeal Dismissed
- April 15, 2004
- Kingston Penitentiary, Kingston, Ontario
Westergard appealed his sentence. He had been convicted of first degree murder on the basis that he caused the victim’s death “while committing or attempting to commit” a sexual assault. (Criminal Code, s. 231(5) (b)).
He appealed the charge. He believed that Section should not apply if the sexual assault took place after the murder. He lost the appeal. He took his case to the Supreme Court of Canada. They also dismissed the case.
Westergard Charged with Proian's Murder
- December 16, 2011
- Warkworth Penitentiary, Brighton, Ontario
Cold case detectives resubmitted a key piece of evidence in the Proian murder, to the Centre of Forensic Sciences. Westergard was serving a life sentence with chance of parole when police arrested him for the murder of Proian.
We cannot confirm the sentence Westergard received for Proian’s murder.
Westergard’s Location
Canadian privacy laws prevent the public from confirming the incarceration of a criminal. As such, we cannot currently confirm the location of Ernest William Westergard.
SIMILAR SERIAL KILLERS
Henry Robert Williams
Willaims also killed someone in Mississauga, Ontario
Dennis Keith Smith
Smith and Westergard were both convicted in May, 1998
John Wayne Gacy
Westergard & Gacy both beat, strangled and stabbed victims
THE STATS
Killer in a Historical Timeline
Statistical table for (Killer’s Name)
| Killer Name | Westergard, Ernest William |
| Gender | M |
| Arrest Date | December 16, 1994 |
| Conviction Date | May 5, 1998 |
| Sentence | Life term with no parole eligibility for 25 years |
| Birth Date | 1951 |
| Status | Alive or Unknown |
| Job Types | carpet salesman |
| Labour Type | Blue |
| Killer Type | Sexual/Sadistic, Territorial |
| sk_killer_type2 | Territorial |
| comment1 | In prison for Sonya Run when connected and charged with Donna Proian (June 23, 1981) |
| comment2 | Westergard was wearing his brother's suit when he murdered Run |
| Total Dead Victims | 2 |
| Victims (Convicted) | 2 |
| Victim Gender | F |
| Victim Race | White |
| Victim Age | 30, 51 |
| Victim Type | Neighbour |
| Method of Killing | Strangulation, beating, stabbing |
| Robbery | Yes |
| Sex Assault | Yes |
| Necrophilia | Yes |
| Body - Left, Not Hidden | Yes |
Killer Rating
RESOURCES
- The Leader-Post (Jun 26, 1981)
- Toronto Star. Salesman charged in murder case (May 24, 1995) - sign in required
- Toronto Star. Police close book on two baffling killings (Jan 4, 1996) - sign in required
- The Globe and Mail. Convicted murderer charged in 30-year-old homicide cold case (Dec 16, 2011) - sign in required
- National Post (Dec 17, 2011)
- Mississauga News (Dec 17, 2011)
- Killers Without Conscience (Jan 28, 2015) - unverified content
- Appeal 185 OAC 281 (2004) - sign in required
- SCC Appeal v. 30623 (Jan 21, 2005)