A judge in Toronto is hearing a second day of arguments about whether a local neurosurgeon accused of killing his physician wife should be granted bail.
Dr. Mohammed Shamji, 40, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Elana Fric-Shamji, 40. Her body was found inside a suitcase on the side of a road in Kleinburg, Ont. on Dec. 1, 2016.
Shamji’s bail hearing began Thursday, with his lawyers arguing he should be allowed to live in the community while awaiting his murder trial.
Four sureties, including Shamji’s parents who are both doctors themselves, have told the court they are prepared to make sure Shamji meets any bail conditions and attends all court appearances.
The evidence submitted during the hearing is covered by a publication ban.
An autopsy found that Fric-Shamji, a Scarborough Hospital physician and mother of three, had died of strangulation and blunt force trauma.
Investigators believe she was killed at the couple’s home, sometime between the evening of Nov. 30 and the morning of Dec. 1.
Shamji was arrested Dec. 2 in a Mississauga coffee shop. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder. He has been in jail for eight months awaiting bail.
The couple’s children have been living with their maternal grandmother since his arrest.
