A Toronto man has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years after pleading guilty to killing his wife from Tecumseh.
Mohammed Shamji, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Dr. Elana Fric-Shamiji and Justice John McMahon approved of a joint submission by the Crown and his defence lawyer, who asked for parole eligibility to be set at 14 years.
"This is an extremely tragic case," McMahon told the court. "Three young children have lost their mother forever."
Ana Fric said in her victim impact statement Tuesday that the death of her 40-year-old daughter has destroyed her entire family.
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.
With files from The Canadian Press and CP24.
