A murder in Toronto is casting light on the epidemic of domestic violence in Canada

A Toronto man who murdered his wife two days after she filed for divorce has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years. Neurosurgeon Mohammed Shamji, 43, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder in the death of 40-year-old Elana Fric Shamji, a well-respected family doctor.

Justice John McMahon says the case is yet another tragic instance of domestic homicide that he sees far too often.  Court heard Fric Shamji served her 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.

Her mother told court at a sentencing hearing yesterday that Shamji destroyed their entire family, leaving them heartbroken and filled with rage, but they want to keep her daughter's memory alive.

Domestic violence is often under reported, but statistics reveal that it’s so pervasive in this country that it is considered an epidemic. A woman is killed by her current or former partner every six days in Canada. 29% of Canadian women will experience violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime. According to statistics Canada in 2017 intimate partner violence represented 30% of all police reported crime in Canada.

Victim Link: 1-800-563-0808.

Guest: Kristi Yuris

Regional Coordinator of the Program for Ending Violence, at the Community Coordination for Women's Safety

A Toronto man who murdered his wife two days after she filed for divorce has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years. Neurosurgeon Mohammed Shamji, 43, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder in the death of 40-year-old Elana Fric Shamji, a well-respected family doctor.

Justice John McMahon says the case is yet another tragic instance of domestic homicide that he sees far too often.  Court heard Fric Shamji served her 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.

Her mother told court at a sentencing hearing yesterday that Shamji destroyed their entire family, leaving them heartbroken and filled with rage, but they want to keep her daughter's memory alive.

Domestic violence is often under reported, but statistics reveal that it’s so pervasive in this country that it is considered an epidemic. A woman is killed by her current or former partner every six days in Canada. 29% of Canadian women will experience violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime. According to statistics Canada in 2017 intimate partner violence represented 30% of all police reported crime in Canada.

Victim Link: 1-800-563-0808.

Guest: Kristi Yuris

Regional Coordinator of the Program for Ending Violence, at the Community Coordination for Women's Safety