Neurosurgeon accused of murdering physician wife seeks bail
Mohammed Shamji has been in custody on a first-degree murder charge since December
A Toronto neurosurgeon charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife and fellow physician, Dr. Elana Fric, is seeking bail.
Mohammed Shamji was at the 361 University Ave. courthouse Thursday along with his lawyers for a bail review. The details of the proceedings are under a publication ban.
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Shamji, 40, has been in custody since his arrest in December after Fric's body was discovered in a suitcase near an underpass in Vaughan, Ont.
The headline-making case shook Ontario's medical community and sparked dialogue about intimate partner violence.
Fric, a respected family physician and mother of three, met Shamji during her medical school days at the University of Ottawa while he was there for a neurosurgery residency.
She was found to have died from strangulation and blunt-force trauma.
One of those present at Thursday's court appearance was Michelle Vrbanek, who identified herself as one of Fric's cousins, and wore a purple ribbon to honour victims of domestic violence.
"It's important for me because she's not here, that somebody is here to help her and be here in support," Vrbanek said.
No decision was made regarding Shamji's bail Thursday. Submissions continue Friday.