Montreal-area man, 56, sentenced to 9 years after fatally stabbing wife during argument

Longueuil Metropolitan Police Service patrol car, Wednesday, February 22, 2023, in Longueuil. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

A Montreal-area man has been sentenced to nine years in prison after fatally stabbing his wife with a knife in their home two years ago.

Mohamed Ali Mosbah, 56, was sentenced Tuesday at the Longueuil courthouse after pleading guilty to manslaughter, CTV News confirmed.

The judge accepted a joint submission from the Crown prosecutor and the defence for the nine-year sentence. After being credited for time served in pre-trial custody, Mosbah has just under six more years to serve behind bars.

Mosbah was initially charged with second-degree murder after police were called to the family’s home on the night of Feb. 18, 2024, and found his wife, Hayette Bouguellid, with multiple stab wounds. The trial was averted after he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter earlier this month.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Mosbah stabbed his wife during an argument that stemmed from a longstanding conflict revolving around the time he spent with his children from a previous marriage.

During the argument, Bouguellid slapped her husband across the face for the first time in their relationship. She then headed for the kitchen and grabbed a knife, which she used to attack Mosbah.

During the struggle, he managed to grab the hand she used to hold the knife and, during the altercation, he stabbed Bouguellid three times on her neck, two of which were fatal.

Both the Crown and defence agreed that Mosbah’s actions went beyond the legal scope of self-defence but also lacked the specific intent needed for a conviction for second-degree murder.