A violent husband who strangled his wife to death as well as his two young sons before committing suicide in 2019 had planned his action, concludes the report of the public inquiry which calls for better prevention of domestic violence.
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“As soon as the marriage took place, the violence set in and increased,” underlines coroner Me Andrée Kronström from the outset in the report made public on Tuesday.
Archive photo, ANNIE T ROUSSEL
The 39-page document details the married life of Dahia Khellaf and Nabil Yssaad until December 9, 2019. Despite a contact ban, Mr. Yssaad then went to the family home in Pointe-aux-Trembles and strangled her. 42-year-old woman to death, as well as their two- and four-year-old sons.
The next day, he threw himself from the sixth floor of a hospital in Lanaudière to take his own life.
“Ultimate Control”
Ms. Khellaf and her two sons were indeed strangled, confirms the coroner’s report.
“He surprised his children, then his partner, in their sleep, because there is nothing to show that they struggled or struggled,” we can read in the 39-page document.
As for Nabil Yssad, the report concludes that his death occurred quickly, after his fall from several floors.
There is no doubt that he had planned his action, according to Suzanne Léveillée, a psychologist cited as an expert.
He found himself in “a psychological and relational impasse” whose only solution was to take action, a “manifestation of ultimate control”, we can read.
People had left stuffed animals in front of the residence in the Pointe-aux-Trembles neighborhood, where the mother and her two young children aged 4 and 2 were killed in December 2019 by the father of the family.
Photo Frédérique Giguère
The expert goes so far as to describe the crime scene as a “psychological signature”, with family members in the same bed.
Way to go
Me Andrée Kronström also notes that Dahia Khellaf was little informed about what constitutes violence and coercive control.
Facebook photo
She notes that there is still a way to go despite several advances to protect victims of domestic violence since 2019.
The report concludes with 19 recommendations, in particular to complete the establishment of the specialized court for domestic violence in Montreal by 2026 and to raise awareness of the evaluation service for spousal violence.
He also recommends to the Department of Immigration that new arrivals be made aware of domestic violence and its criminal nature.
