Dr. Elana Fric’s husband, Dr. Mohammed Shamji, attacked her two days after she served him with divorce papers in what was an increasingly volatile and abusive relationship. He strangled her in their bedroom on November 30, 2016, chopped off her hair and left her in a suitcase by the Humber River in Kleinburg. Her body was found on December 2, 2016.

Fric was a respected family physician at Scarborough Hospital and a delegate for the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). She was highly-accomplished having graduated from University of Ottawa’s medical school and receiving a Master’s Degree from Duke in Public Policy. She was also a long-distance runner.

She was married to Mohammed Shamji, a neurosurgeon she met in Ottawa, for 12 years. From the beginning he presented a superior demeanor and a controlling attitude. Fric recognized Shamji had anger problems, but was private about escalating abuse she endured at home. Her parents related an instance when they called Fric’s home, the phone was answered but all they heard was Shamji yelling “You fucking bitch! You stupid fucking bitch!”

Shamji received a peace bond and 12 months probation for splitting Fric’s lip in 2005, however, this did not change his behaviour. Outwardly, the couple seemed like loving, over-achievers, and Fric often hid the reality of her home life. She once said “My relationship isn’t what people think it is. If they only knew.”

By 2016, things had quickly deteriorated in their relationship. Fric’s friends and family worried about her safety, but she convinced herself that Shamji would never seriously hurt her because it would ruin his career. She was wrong.

Elana Fric’s murder garnered a lot of media attention because it illustrated that domestic violence exists across class, education and wealth lines. It reminded us that if it could happen within the relationship of such an outwardly successful couple, it could happen anywhere and to anyone.

He pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 10 years.