Toronto man who killed his wife gets life sentence with no parole for 14 years

TORONTO – 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.

The Crown and defence had asked both the court to set the parole ineligibility period for Shamji at 14 years.

"Three young children have lost their mother forever," McMahon said. "Their father has now admitted, and convicted to, killing their mother and sentenced to life in prison today."

McMahon credited Shamji for his last-minute guilty plea, which saved his young daughter from testifying as a key witness at the trial. But he also condemned Shamji for the nature of the brutal murder at the couple's home.

"I recognize there is no evidence of planning. A heated argument led to the killing," McMahon said. "The nature of the violence is extreme."