what happened to the victims in the canal murders

The begetter, mother and brother of three teenage girls from Montreal whose bodies were found in a submerged car in a Kingston, Ont., canal were charged Thursday with killing them and a adult female believed to be the father's first wife.

Tooba Mohammad Yehya, left, her son Hamid Mohammad Shafia, middle, and his father Mohammad Shafia, correct, are seen outside a Kingston, Ont., courthouse on Th. ((CBC))

The father, mother and brother of three teenage girls from Montreal whose bodies were constitute in a submerged automobile in a Kingston, Ont., canal were charged Th with killing them and a woman believed to be the father'south first wife.

Zainab Shafia, nineteen, Sahar Shafia, 17, and Geeti Shafia, 13, were found dead last month along with Rona Amir Mohammed, 50, in a submerged car at a Rideau Canal lock near Kingston.

Parents Mohammad Shafia and Tooba Mohammad Yehya and their son Hamid Mohammad Shafia, xviii, take each been charged with four counts of kickoff-caste murder and four counts of conspiracy to murder, Insp. Brian Begbie announced at a news conference at Kingston Police headquarters on Thursday.

The three, who alive in the Montreal neighbourhood of St. Léonard, are beingness held in custody in Kingston while waiting for bail hearings.

This photograph taken in the 1980s is said to show the wedding of Rona Amir Mohammed, left, and Mohammad Shafia, centre, in Afghanistan. The photo was sent to the media by e-mail past a purported family member. ((Canadian Press))

The submerged black Nissan Sentra was discovered around 12:30 p.one thousand. on June 30, the same 24-hour interval Mohammad Shafia went to the Kingston Law station to report that his daughters and a woman he said at the time was his cousin were missing, along with his vehicle. He was accompanied by his wife and son, said law.

Begbie said investigators have "cause to believe" the older woman found in the car was, in fact, Mohammad Shafia'south first married woman.

Law said that by the time the bodies were discovered, they had been in the water for equally long as 12 hours.

The car's front end was up confronting the lock wall as if the vehicle had plunged in backward.

The male parent told constabulary he discovered his car was missing after the family unit had stopped at a Kingston cabin following a trip to Niagara Falls, Ont., the day before. The family unit had been travelling in two vehicles.

When they were told about the discovery of the submerged car, constabulary said all 3 suspects spoke about their trip to Niagara Falls and Zainab'southward habit of taking the car without consent and without a commuter's licence, a claim police say is untrue.

"Our investigation to engagement reveals that this allegation is false and that on the night in question, the Nissan was operated by a combination of the three defendant persons," said Begbie.

Girls lived as 'Canadian teenagers'

The three Shafia sisters are seen in an undated family unit photograph. ((CBC))

Police likewise said the son drove the family's 2d vehicle to Montreal in the early-morning time hours of June 30 and returned to Kingston to back-trail his parents to the police force station. The couple have three more children — two daughters and a son — now in care of youth protection services in Montreal.

Both vehicles — the submerged Nissan and a Lexus SUV — are being examined by police force, said Begbie.

Police said they are looking into whether the deaths were an "honour killing" — a tribal custom skillful in some parts of the world in which the majority of victims are women who are perceived to accept brought shame to their family.

Kingston law Chief Stephen Tanner said he received an e-mail from someone who is likely a relative of the family who claimed it was such a killing.

"That will grade a role of the ongoing investigation," said Tanner. "There are family members in a variety of parts of the earth and investigators will be following upwards with them.

"Whether that was a role of the motive within the family unit, based on 1 ... or more of the girls' behaviour is open to a little bit of speculation."

Tanner said the girls were living every bit "Canadian teenagers who take all the freedom and rights of expression of all Canadians."

Tarek Fatah, radio talk prove host and founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, said Tanner made a "very clear reference" to honour killings during the news conference when he discussed freedom of expression and the choices that immature women in Canada, as Canadian citizens, have.

Female parent 'distraught,' says lawyer

Yehya's lawyer, Lucie Joncas, told reporters exterior court that the mother is grieving for her children.

"It'due south obvious my customer is very emotionally distraught by the whole tragedy," Joncas said.

Waice Ferdoussi, who represents Shafia, said that his client was "very surprised" he was arrested and that they were a "close family."

"These are very severe charges, not a joke," he added.

The family, originally from Kabul, Afghanistan, spent 15 years in Dubai before moving to Montreal two years ago.

Tanner said other law agencies, including the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP, as well as Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto police forces, were involved in the investigation.

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canal-victims-killed-by-family-police-1.792909

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