Toronto man who murdered wife, a beloved family doctor, sentenced to life with no parole chance for 14 years

A Toronto man who murdered his wife two days after she filed for divorce has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years.

Neurosurgeon Mohammed Shamji, 43, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder in the death of Elana Fric, 40, a respected family doctor.

Justice John McMahon said the case is yet another tragic instance of domestic homicide that he sees far too often.

“[Fric] was robbed of a wonderful life yet to be lived,” McMahon said in Superior Court.

Court heard Fric served her husband with divorce papers two days before he attacked her, broke her neck and ribs, and choked her to death as their three children slept nearby.

Her mother told court at a sentencing hearing Wednesday that Shamji destroyed their entire family, leaving them heartbroken and filled with rage.

He also ordered that Shamji have no contact with the children or Fric’s parents without prior consent.

“Three young children have lost their mother forever,” McMahon said.

McMahon credited Shamji for his last-minute guilty plea, which saved his young daughter from testifying as a key witness at the trial. But he also condemned Shamji for the nature of the murder at the couple’s home.

“I recognize there is no evidence of planning. A heated argument led to the killing,” McMahon said. “The nature of the violence is extreme.”

Outside court Thursday, Fric’s mother Ana said “justice wasn’t done today.”

She said she begged her daughter to leave Shamji, and was relieved that she had finally made that decision.

Fric described her daughter as the child any parent would want to have.

“She was kind, she was generous. She was a lovely mother, a devoted mother.”

Fric’s father, Joe, said he will have anger “in my chest” for the rest of his life.

“I know how many lives he destroyed.”