Details emerge on victims in Canada mass killing; father is recovering

9 March 2024 02:52 pm - 23 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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March 09, (BBC) - The Sri Lankan father who survived the mass murder of his family in Canada said he returned home from work on Wednesday to find his wife and four young children had been killed.

Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, 34, was also attacked but managed to subdue the suspect.

He is now recovering in hospital from a slash to the eye and one of his hands.

A 19-year-old Sri Lankan student who was living with the family was charged with the deaths

The new details of the night the Wickramasinghe family was killed emerged from a series of media interviews with Bhante Suneetha, the resident monk at a local Buddhist monastery in Ottawa that the family attended.

Mr Suneetha, who visited the father in hospital on Thursday, said he is in "great shock" over what happened.

Police in Ottawa discovered the slain family at their townhouse in the Barrhaven suburb after responding to emergency calls placed at around 22:52 local time (03:52 GMT) on Wednesday.

Chief Eric Stubbs with the Ottawa Police Service said the calls came after a man, later determined to be Mr Wickramasinghe, yelled for neighbours to call for help.

Responding officers then found the bodies of Mr Wickramasinghe's wife, 35-year-old Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake, and their four young children: seven-year-old Inuka Wickramasinghe, four-year-old Ashwini Wickramasinghe, three-year-old Ranaya Wickramasinghe, and two-month-old Kelly Wickramasinghe.

Police also found the body of 40-year-old Amarakoonmudiayansela Ge Gamini Amarakoon, an acquaintance who was living with the family.

The Wickramasinghe family were newcomers to Canada. Naradha Kodituwakku, the former president of the Sri Lanka Canada Association in Ottawa, told reporters that they had arrived last year.

In an interview with CBC, Mr Suneetha described them as kind people who often lent a helping hand at the local temple.

"They are innocent and also very helpful people. It doesn't matter [who would ask] for help from them," he said.

Febrio De-Zoysa, an international student from Sri Lanka, was arrested at the home without incident and has been charged in connection to the murders, which police said were carried out using a "knife-like object".

Algonquin College in Ottawa released a statement to the media on Thursday confirming that Mr De-Zoysa was enrolled at their college, and that his last semester of attendance was winter 2023.

In a statement published on Facebook, the General Consulate of Sri Lanka in Toronto expressed its condolences to the family and friends of the victims.

It also alerted parents of those who are studying abroad from Sri Lanka "to pay more attention to their children during their transition and integration" into a foreign country like Canada.

Police did not specify a motive for the crime, saying the family were "innocent victims", and that their investigation is ongoing.

Mr De-Zoysa made his first court appearance in Ottawa on Thursday, where he was formally charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

A vigil will be held for the family on Saturday, and a GoFundMe launched for Mr Wickramasinghe by the Buddhist Congress of Canada has raised more than C$53,000 ($39,300; £30,500) as of Friday afternoon.

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Comments - 23

Jayantha Saturday, 09 March 2024 03:28 PM

Never give shelter within same property to unknown people or based on recommendation from third parties in Sri Lanka or even overseas. Most of these people bring trouble to innocent people.

Tissa Fernando Sunday, 10 March 2024 06:13 PM

In this case the boy was known to the father for sometime and father met his parents in Sri Lanka too. Father is a hard working person who came on a student visa and then got a work permit and also managed to bring his family . In the process he fathered 4 children too. Big mistake he did was to help that killer boy.

Lk Saturday, 09 March 2024 03:39 PM

We should learned some lessons from this incident locally in Sri Lanka and abroad … When you are living with mental illness if it is proved in this case we must take some extra care by isolating them as it always happens in western countries.. but how does one know if a new arrivals come and do you check their medical history in tendency agreement This could be one of rare cases or any other issues

hope he rots in jail Saturday, 09 March 2024 05:39 PM

I have seen online that the father went to Canada as a student in 2011. The suspect was living in the basement and was also a student and completed his studies in the winter 2023. I hope the suspect gets life in prison and rots in jail, there is no excuse for anyone to KILL one, leave alone a mother, her 4 children and another guy who was also living in the same house. guess he will claim insanity!! like 99.9% of murderers do when they get caught.

Joseph Ratnasingham Saturday, 09 March 2024 05:50 PM

Very sad

Tissa Fernando Saturday, 09 March 2024 09:24 PM

Justin Trudeau spoke with genuine sadness as well as other Canadisn officials. What about a statement from local Wickramasinghe , he is more interested in the big match.

Nimal Sunday, 10 March 2024 11:53 AM

Of course, he is more interested in singing "wada kaha sudiya", one of the most tasteless, meaningless and useless songs in the entire language.

Roisin Sunday, 10 March 2024 12:13 PM

Spot on!

People who leave the country are not our problem Sunday, 10 March 2024 07:58 PM

While it is sad about it, this is what happens when people go overseas to live. Going overseas to study, because cannot get into local university is for bad people. Our President has local matters to concern himself with, instead of a crime committed by Sri Lankan overseas.

Radar Sunday, 10 March 2024 02:21 AM

It is indeed very sad to see such wanton killing of innocent children too. It appears that the bulk of the immigrants from Sri Lanka to Canada arrived following the mayhem created by the then Sri Lankan government against innocent Tamils in 1983. It now appears, Sinhalese too are not immune to other forces playing in Sri Lanka. Hence, they too are seeking safer greener pastures. Regardless of the reasons this killing is beyond animalistic attitude.

kondaya77 Sunday, 10 March 2024 02:38 AM

As per Canadian law the perpetrator will be looked after well and he will get a slap in the wrist.

Kondaya Gona Tuesday, 12 March 2024 12:21 AM

Better than your ministers been sent to hospitals for 5 star treatment.

Jacoob Pardon Sunday, 10 March 2024 04:27 AM

The Murderer guy need not worry too much. Being a Srilankan , he is entitled to a Presidential Pardon and everything will be good. Om Shanthi ...

Spartacus Sunday, 10 March 2024 05:08 AM

What a loss of innocent lives. It comes to mind the 1983 race riots when Sinhalese targetted Tamils and burnt whole families alive.

Indra Dasa Sunday, 10 March 2024 06:01 AM

Sri Lanka's current poor socio - economic condition may also contributed to this murder's actions . It looks like this Murder's intention may be retaliation with his host family for some reason , it may be financial or other reasons to engage in such a murder that couldn't be comprehended in any civilised society . However these kind of acts never happened in Sri Lankan societies in overseas or in Sr Lanka , therefore now Sri Lanka's responsible authorities must take actions to avoid such crimes , otherwise in the future Sri Lankan nationals will face heavy restrictions on VISAS to enter in Countries such as Canada ,Australia ,UK ,USA ,New Zealand etc .

Sriwardana Sunday, 10 March 2024 06:04 AM

We also want to hear from De Soysa family in Sri Lanka. It is their son who did his terrible killings , so his family and extended family must speak.

European Sunday, 10 March 2024 01:19 PM

No, I agree withTissa Fernando. Your president should show compassion towards the family of the diseased. He is very quiet, like all Sri Lankan officials.

ANTON Sunday, 10 March 2024 11:13 AM

PRAY FOR HIM TO BEAR THE TREMENDOUS SORROW

Dee Sunday, 10 March 2024 01:19 PM

Most of these immigration consultants make good money. People go (they tell everyone that’s it’s migrating) on student visas do odd job bs for decades paying heavy taxes and with absolutely no savings (everything on rent) and at times sell off whatever they have back in SL and somehow transfer the funds. Yes! ‘Migrating’ is certainly a buzz word, but one needs to look at it properly. Just to tell everyone that ‘we’re migrating’ should not be the case.

Dave Turner Sunday, 10 March 2024 08:21 PM

Why do Sri Lankans in millons have to leave their country to make ends meet? Isn't Sri Lanka a resourceful country ?

sam silva2 Monday, 11 March 2024 06:32 AM

why not anyone contacting the boy's parents here in sri lanka?. its so funny how journos report news without 'thinking' - like robots they report and often repeating the same thing over and over again, just to expand the report!

Genealogist Monday, 11 March 2024 10:19 AM

Such acts are caused by 75% due to hereditary factors. 25% due to environmental factors. His family in Sri Lanka should be checked. Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts may carry the genes responsible for such violent acts.

Tharinda Monday, 11 March 2024 12:52 PM

These issues have a backstory of deep psychological distress. Young adults are most vulnerable and the convicted is 19, in the same category. I see the comments here attacking many other aspects and are mostly baseless.

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Details emerge on victims in Canada mass killing; father is recovering

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