The family of a Tecumseh woman murdered by her husband has told a sentencing hearing they are heartbroken and filled with rage over her death.
Ana Fric says the death of her daughter, Elana Fric Shamji, has destroyed her entire family.
Mohammed Shamji, 43, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder in the death of 40-year-old Fric Shamji.
Family and friends are providing victim impact statements at Wednesday's hearing.
Court heard Fric Shamji served her neurosurgeon husband with divorce papers two days before he attacked her, broke her neck and ribs, and choked her to death as their three children slept nearby.
It was loud enough to wake their 11-year-old daughter. The child went to her parents' room to investigate, but Shamji ordered her back to her bedroom, court heard.
He then stuffed Fric Shamji's body into a suitcase, drove 35 kilometres north of the city and dumped it into the Humber River.
A passerby found the suitcase the next day after she was last seen on Nov. 30, 2016, and police arrested Shamji 24 hours later.
Court heard the couple married in 2004 but had a volatile relationship and included both physical and verbal abuse of Fric Shamji by her husband.
One of the couple's children rushed out of the courtroom in tears after Shamji’s guilty plea. Fric Shamji's mother followed, consoling her granddaughter. It was the first time the children had seen their father since his arrest.
A second-degree murder conviction carries a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 to 25 years.
With files from The Canadian Press
