Montreal man facing first-degree murder in woman's death; accused was on bail after allegedly threatening her

Guangmei Ye was found dead in a home in Candiac, Que. on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. Police have charged Shilei Du with first-degree murder. (LinkedIn)

A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

Shilei Du was charged with first-degree murder after making a court appearance at the Longueuil courthouse on Monday. His case was adjourned to Nov. 19.

According to a charge sheet, Du allegedly killed 29-year-old Guangmei Ye on Nov. 7, but police only found the woman's body Sunday after being called to a home on Frontenelle Street in Candiac, Que.

Ye worked in data science and business analytics at the multinational investment bank, Morgan Stanley, for about three years.

The company, which has an office in Montreal, released a statement on Monday, saying, "We are devastated by the tragic loss of our colleague, Guangmei, and are committed to providing our full support to her family, loved ones and our many team members who are grieving during this incredibly difficult time."

The Roussillon intermunicipal police responded to the home on Sunday but referred the case to Quebec provincial police.

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said when officers arrived at the home they found the woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was arrested a short time after.

Court records show that the accused allegedly uttered threats against the same victim on Sept. 7 and was arrested the following day. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail under certain conditions on Sept. 9.

According to Noovo Info, the alleged threats were made in a context of domestic violence.

The home where Ye's body was found was on a residential street that is very "family friendly," said one neighbour who spoke to CTV News and asked that his name not be published.

He said he spoke with her a few times since she moved to the home a few years ago and described her as "a sweet lady."

"She clearly didn't deserve what happened to her," he said.

According to the Shield of Athena Family Services, more than 60 women and children have been killed in cases of conjugal violence since the onset of the pandemic.

"I would say that this is a big problem still in Quebec," said executive director Melpa Kamateros despite recent measures meant to protect victims.

"In this case, unfortunately, the client probably went through all the legal steps that she had to. If I understood correctly, the charges were pressed," Kamateros said.

One of the measures Quebec recently adopted was an ankle bracelet monitoring system that tracks an offender's movements.

Du was not required to wear one, according to a list of release conditions set by the court when he was granted bail last month.

Part of his bail conditions after the uttering threats case prohibited him from being within 500 metres of Ye or being within 100 metres of her workplace. He was also banned from communicating with her or referring to her on social media.

The court also required him to "begin and finish an anger management therapy" and provide proof at every court date. His next court date was scheduled for Dec. 20.

Kamateros wonders if an ankle bracelet might have made a difference in this case.

"At least if the ankle bracelet was on, his actions would have been monitored, and they would have been able to see if he did, in fact, break his condition, and was in fact a few metres away from the victim," she said.

"So that's where those reinforcing methods are used in order to best assure the security of the victim and also to best monitor any future dangerous acts by the alleged perpetrator."

With files from CTV Montreal's Stéphane Giroux and Christine Long, and The Canadian Press