By Canadian Press

Suspect charged in mass killing of Sri Lankan family in Ottawa back in court

Mar 14, 2024 | 1:03 AM

OTTAWA — The 19-year-old charged with killing six people in an Ottawa suburb last week is set to return to court this afternoon. 

Febrio De-Zoysa was arrested last Wednesday night and is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. 

Police say De-Zoysa, who came to Canada as an international student, had been living with the victims, who were also newcomers from Sri Lanka.

They include 35-year-old Darshani Ekanayake and her four children, who range in age from two months to seven years old, and a family friend.

Her husband and the children’s father, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, was taken to hospital with injuries to his hands and face. 

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Police say the victims were attacked with a “knifelike object,” but they have not assigned a motive for the killings. 

Ekanayake and the children — Inuka, Ashwini, Ranaya, and Kelly — had moved to Canada in recent months. 

A friend who had been living with the family, 40-year-old Gamini Amarakoon Amarakoon Mudiyanselage, was also killed. He had a wife and two children living in Sri Lanka. 

The deaths have triggered an outpouring of shock and grief from the community. 

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe called the killings “one of the most shocking incidents of violence” in the city’s history. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 13, 2024. 

The Canadian Press