A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa’s south end on Thursday.
The Ottawa Police Service calls the death a femicide, saying the accused was in a domestic relationship with a family member of the victim.
Emergency crews responded to a call for a stabbing at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive, between Paul Anka Drive and Bennett Street, at 11:25 a.m. Thursday. The victim died from her injuries.
Police identified the victim as Brkti Berhe, 36, of Ottawa
On Friday, police announced Fsha Tekhle, 36, of Montreal is facing a charge of first-degree murder.
“Tekhle had a domestic relationship with a family member of the victim, Brkti Berhe,” police said. “This tragic event is a femicide.”
This is the 22nd homicide of 2024 in Ottawa.
“A femicide is generally defined as ‘the killing of women and girls because of their gender’ often driven by stereotyped gender roles, discrimination towards women and girls or unequal power relations between women and men,” police said in a statement.
“The Ottawa Police Service also builds on the definition recommended by our VAW community partners as ‘the misogynist killing of women and girls because of their gender, overwhelmingly committed by men.'”