'Diamond for the community': Friends remember Brkti Berhe

Some of the people who knew Brkti Berhe best are speaking about the kind and loving person she was, days after she was brutally killed in broad daylight.

Berhe was stabbed to death in front of two of her children while visiting Paul Landry Park on a sunny morning last Thursday. She was 36 years old. Fsha Tekhle, also 36, is facing a charge of first-degree murder in connection with her death. Police have said Tekhle had a "domestic relationship" with one of Berhe's family members.

Berhe was a wife and a mother of four children – 8 months, 3, 10, and 15 years old.

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"She's being remembered as an amazing mother to four beautiful children. She's being remembered as a caring, supportive and loving wife to her husband. And throughout the community, there's lots being shared about all of the good times they’ve had with her and there's a big sense of loss," said family friend Luwam Kidane.

Medhanie Efter, who has known Berhe since she was young, said she was a "diamond" for the community.

"She's familiar and lovely. She takes care of the kids and her husband and all of the community," he said. "It is so bad for everyone, not just for the family, for everyone in the neighbourhood living here... She's a mother, she's a sister, she's everything for us and our community. She's very kind, she's funny and lovely."

Kidane organized a GoFundMe to help raise money for funeral costs and to provide support to Berhe's children.

"Brkti Berhe will be remembered as a truly remarkable person. She brought joy, laughter, and warmth into the lives of everyone she encountered. Her kindness and compassion was unmatched, and her unique ability to make those around her feel loved and comforted," the page says.

A vigil will be held Tuesday at Paul Landry Park in honour of Berkte, beginning at 6 p.m.

Kidane said the support from the broader community in Ottawa has been "overwhelming at times," but the family is grateful.

"The family is definitely feeling the support and the love from the community. Many city officials have reached out," she said. "But it's such a big tragedy, so it is definitely a long road ahead of them to grieve and try to heal and try to navigate a new life without their mom and the dad without his wife."

Femicide

Ottawa police have deemed Berhe's death a femicide — a targeted, gender-based killing. This is just the second time Ottawa police have officially used the term to describe the killing of a woman in the city.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs said the police want to make sure the community is aware of the issue of violence against women.

"It's a good thing that people are talking more and more about this because it has to stop. We have to eliminate femicides and the only way to do it is to talk about it and educate the public on it," he said.

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"When we do have females who are killed by men, that fits within the definition … we want to make sure that we are properly identifying what this crime is," Stubbs said. "Violence against women is a very important topic. It's a priority for us. We work very closely with the violence against women industry… historically, we've been criticized for some our work here, and we’re just trying to get better and better at this to ensure that everything is being treated the way it should."

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Katelyn Wilson