Parents of slain Toronto doctor attend husband’s court appearance

The Toronto neurosurgeon accused of murdering his wife last December made a brief court appearance Thursday morning.

Dr. Mohammed Shamji appeared in orange prison coveralls by video at a Toronto court for less than a minute. He nodded at the Justice as the Peace as she told him he would make his next appearance on March 14.

The 40-year-old father of three is charged with the first-degree murder of Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji, a family physician who worked at the Scarborough Hospital.

READ MORE: Family of slain Toronto doctor will continue to ‘be her voice,’ face husband in court

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Fric-Shamji’s body was found inside a suitcase on the banks of the Humber River in Kleinburg, Ont., on Dec. 1 after a passerby called police. Police said she died of blunt force trauma and strangulation.

Outside of court Thursday, Fric-Shamji’s parents said they miss their daughter as are the victim’s three children.

“The little one is asking every day for mommy. Every day, ‘Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy,'” Ana Fric, the victim’s mother, told reporters while referring to her three-year-old grandson.

“It’s so hard for us to tell him that mommy is in heaven. It’s all we can say is that mommy is in heaven and she’s watching us.”

READ MORE: Friend of Elana Fric-Shamji remembers fear after Toronto doctor went missing

When asked if the children understand where their father is, the victim’s parents said, “No, we don’t talk about it.”

Fric-Shamji’s parents call Windsor home, but they say they have been living in their daughter’s north-end Toronto home so their three grandchildren can finish their school year in the city.