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Barrhaven Killer Pleads Guilty, Gets Life Sentence With 25 Years Before Parole

The former international student had been living in the family’s basement in Barrhaven when the March 2024 stabbings occurred.

Overview

  • Febrio De-Zoysa pleaded guilty in Ottawa court to four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
  • He was sentenced to life in prison with parole ineligibility for 25 years, with terms to run concurrently under rules that prohibit consecutive life-without-parole sentences.
  • Six victims were killed — a mother, her four children and a family friend — and the children’s father survived with serious injuries.
  • Justice Kevin Phillips condemned the crimes as among the city’s worst, calling the violence “stupefying, monstrous — even demonic” and telling De-Zoysa he “betrayed their trust.”
  • Victim impact statements were delivered in a packed courtroom as the plea resolved a trial that had been scheduled to begin later this month.