Man charged with murder in neighbour’s fatal stabbing

Victim, 40, a father of three, was found by wife in alley near apartment building

A 34-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Monday’s stabbing death of a father of three.

Amalan Thandapanith-esigar, 34, appeared confused during his brief court hearing Wednesday, especially when told that while in detention, he was not to communicate with seven people.

Among those are the three children and widow of the victim, Jeyarasan Manikarajah, 40, of Mountain Sights Ave.

His next court date is scheduled for July 18.

Manikarajah’s children, Thivyapriya Jeyarasan, 18, Abisath Manikarajah, 12, and 10-year-old Thibiga Manikarajah, were in shock Tuesday, 12 hours after their mother, Kamalambikai Jeyarasan, 35, found her husband’s bloodied body in an alley just metres from their apartment building.

He had been stabbed several times at about 9:15 p.m. Monday, allegedly by a neighbour who lived two buildings down on Mountain Sights Ave.

Neighbours and friends — some from as far away as Toronto — poured into the family’s tiny Côte-des-Neiges apartment Tuesday to com- fort the grieving widow, who at times collapsed in uncontrollable wails.

Manikarajah, 40, had sought refuge in Canada in 1996 from Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war, then brought his wife and daughter, who was only four years old, to Canada in 2000. His assailant allegedly was a neighbour and someone from the same Tamil village in Sri Lanka, but with no apparent reason to kill.

“My mom saw it from our balcony,” Thivyapriya said Tuesday, as she sat on the living room couch, holding her grieving mother in her arms. “My dad was entering our building and (a man) came and wanted to talk to him.”

The man placed his arm over Manikarajah’s shoulder and led him to the alley, she said. A few minutes later, witnesses said, the friend sat on the steps of his own apart- ment building, his hands covered in blood and casually said, “I just stabbed him. He’s in the driveway, go get him.”

Someone called 911, and despite paramedics’ attempts at trying to revive the victim, witnesses said he appeared to be dead. Police say the man was rushed to hospital where he died early Tuesday.

“He was a really friendly man, always smiling, never troubling anybody,” said Thivyapriya, who is studying at Vanier College and hoping one day to become a teacher. “Everybody says positive things about him.”

It is the city’s 13th homicide of the year. There had been 12 homicides on the island of Montreal at this time last year.