Joint funeral held for 4 Markham victims

TORONTO • Mourners packed an east Toronto mosque on Friday to remember four members of the same family who died in what police have described as a quadruple homicide.

The funeral service was held as a brief court appearance took place for Menhaz Zaman, a young man accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, sister and grandmother.

Many at the mosque said they were still struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

“We are really lost and frustrated,” said Robin Islam, who called himself a longtime family friend. “I don’t know how we are going to overcome this loss.”

Police found the bodies of 70-year-old Firoza Begum, 59-year-old Moniruz Zaman, 50-year-old Momtaz Begum, and 21-year-old Malesa Zaman at a Markham, Ont., home on Sunday.

Menhaz Zaman was arrested at the scene and charged with four counts of first-degree murder a day later.

Islam said the older Zamans moved to Canada from Bangladesh in the ’80s, hoping for a better life. The four deaths have shocked members of the Bangladeshi community, he said, but people have been coming together to help each other in the wake of the tragedy.

“Everyone is supporting each other, that’s a good thing,” he said. “Everybody wishing it would not happen.”

Meanwhile, Zaman’s brief court appearance in Newmarket, Ont., saw his case put over to Aug. 8.

The 23-year-old, who appeared via video link wearing glasses and an orange jumpsuit, said little during the hearing.