Doctor in court in wife’s slaying

Ex-Ottawa surgeon awaits trial date

A Toronto neurosurgeon accused of killing his wife had his case put over for two weeks after a brief court appearance Friday morning.

Dr. Mohammed Shamji, who spent eight years as a resident at The Ottawa Hospital, is charged with first-degree murder and committing an indignity to human remains in the death of Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji, the mother of his three children.

Fric-Shamji’s beaten body was found in a suitcase by the side of a road north of Toronto in December 2016.

Shamji, her husband of 12 years, was arrested the following day.

He appeared in court Friday morning in a dark grey suit and light blue shirt, and did not speak during the proceedings.

Shamji is scheduled to return to court April 18 to discuss trial dates.

An investigation revealed FricShamji, a family doctor at Scarborough and Rouge Hospital, died of strangulation and blunt force trauma, police have said.

Before his arrest, Shamji worked at Toronto Western Hospital and was a faculty member at the University of Toronto.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Shamji spent eight years at The Ottawa Hospital as a neurosurgery resident.

He and his wife both had advanced degrees in addition to their medical qualifications.