Ottawa police say the fatal stabbing of an Ottawa woman is a tragic case of femicide.
Ottawa police have charged 36-year-old Fsha Tekhle of Montreal with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of Brkti Berhe, 36.
Police say Tekhle had a domestic relationship with a family member of the victim.
On Thursday morning, around 11:25 a.m., police responded to reports that a woman had been stabbed at a park near Uplands and Paul Anka drives.
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The victim, later identified as Berhe, succumbed to her injuries.
A suspect was seen fleeing in a vehicle and was arrested on Highway 417 outside of Ottawa near Exit 66.
Tekhle is expected to appear in court on Friday.
Femicide is a term generally defined as the killing of a woman or girl based on their gender — as it “occurred in the context of intimate partner violence,” police said.
This case makes the second time Ottawa police have used the term in a homicide investigation.
In 2022, while announcing the renaming of its partner assault unit to the intimate partner violence unit, then-interim police chief Steve Bell said the force would begin incorporating “the use of terms like femicide” in how it speaks about violence against women.
“We have learned that language matters, particularly when it comes to education and support,” Bell said in a statement.
— with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton
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