'I do it for Marie': Ottawa homicide victim’s brother speaking out to share his sister’s story
David Gabriel says he never imagined having to plan his younger sister’s funeral.
Marie Gabriel, 24, was killed in her Heatherington Road home on March 28. Jean Fenelon, 40, is facing a charge of second-degree murder.
David remembers the moment the detective came to his mother’s house to break the news.
"My heart sank, the detective came to shake my hand, but I was refusing because I was saying, 'This can’t be true, this can’t be true, this is not real.'"
David is now in charge of making arrangements for Marie’s funeral.
"Words cannot explain how I am feeling. It is a lot of planning, it is almost, I am sitting at home, and people are messaging, and my heart is racing."
David and Marie were born in Gambia and moved to the United States and eventually Canada with their mother. David says he and his sister were close and they have fond memories of growing up. They both raised children here in Ottawa.
"All those I have in my head. They are good memories that will forever cherish."
Gabriel had two young children with the accused.
"The kids were her everything. She would video chat with people and would be showing off the kids all the time," David said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for the cost of the funeral as well as support the two kids.
David Gabriel says his sister was trapped in an abusive relationship and was trying to escape. He said she was "isolated”, and her situation “made her feel completely lost.”
David adds, "She was afraid to tell her family.
Marie was planning on meeting her brother soon before she was killed, according to David.
"We were planning to meet, I told we can plan meet, and I am here today, and we can’t plan that," David said.
"A lot of questions in my mind, but she is not here to answer them."
CTV News Ottawa reached out to Fenelon’s lawyer, but he says he is unable to provide comment at this time.
David says talking about his sister is helping him cope and he is speaking out and sharing Marie’s story to help victims of domestic violence who are afraid to escape their situation.
"We need to put awareness out there that, people need to get out of these situations. Marie is not here to tell you what happen, so I am talking for her," David says.
"It’s overwhelming, but I do it for Marie."
A vigil is being planned in the Heatherington Road community Friday night. Those who knew Marie will light candles and share memories.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.