An Ottawa mother of four is being remembered as a sweet, caring person whose violent death has left the local community in shock and mourning.
Brkti Berhe, 36, was attacked around 11:30 a.m. Thursday near the intersection of Uplands and Paul Anka drives, according to Ottawa police, south of the downtown core and near the international airport.
During a police media availability Friday, Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson confirmed two of Berhe’s children were with her at the Paul Landry Park when she was stabbed to death.
A 36-year-old Montreal man, Fsha Tekhle, has been charged with first-degree murder in her death. Police have labelled the killing a femicide.
Berhe knew Tekhle because her aunt had recently left a relationship with him, according to close family friend Helen Kibade.
Montreal man Fsha Tekhle has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Brkti Berhe of Ottawa, who was repeatedly stabbed in front of her children in a city park. Ottawa police refer to the killing as a femicide, which is when a woman or girl is killed because of their gender.
Community members and sources have confirmed that images on a Facebook account depict Tekhle. The account, which reporters at CBC/Radio-Canada have seen, uses a different name.
Minutes after the killing Thursday, the account posted one word in Amharic, an Ethiopian Semitic language. Translated to English, the word means “done.”
The post was timestamped 11:40 a.m., about 10 minutes after Berhe was killed.
The Facebook account became unavailable Friday morning before Tekhle made his first appearance in court on the first-degree murder charge. According to Facebook, content can become unavailable if someone changes who can see it or deletes it.
CBC has been unable to verify whether Tekhle owns or operates that Facebook account, whether he wrote or published the Thursday morning post himself or if he had anything to do with the account disappearing.
Kibade said she and Berhe would often play with their children at the park where her friend was attacked.
“She’s a very sweet girl. It’s broken my heart. It’s very, very sad. I don’t understand,” said Kibade, adding that Berhe had a “very nice life [and] marriage.”
Tanya Pomeranz lives nearby and spoke with CBC as she visited the growing memorial in the park to lay flowers.
“I’ve seen parents and kids playing and having fun here. Chances are, I might have seen her and her kids just in the way that we walk around,” Pomeranz said.
“This is a place now that has a such a sadness and sombre kind of quality. It hurts my heart.”
‘Just horrific’
Trauma professionals were deployed to a nearby community centre Friday afternoon, according to a social media post by River ward Coun. Riley Brockington, who represents the area.
“I’m very sad to have learned of yesterday’s horrific and tragic event. Children have lost their mother, brutally murdered in broad daylight, in a well-used park that many, many of our local families use and enjoy,” said the Brockington in a Friday interview with Radio-Canada.
“It’s just horrific news to hear. All murders are unnecessary in this city, but yesterday’s was particularly brutal and hard for the community to understand and absorb. And a lot of people are hurting right now.”
Brockington said he hopes to organize a community vigil next week on Oct. 29.