An Ottawa man charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a young mother will be back in court next week after a brief court appearance on Monday.
Tamrat Gebere, 35, was arrested in connection with Ottawa's seventh homicide of the year late Saturday afternoon.
Neighbours say the victim is Gebere's wife. However, police have not released the victim's identity, pending notification of next of kin.
The woman moved into a unit at 1541 Riverside Dr. just weeks ago, according to neighbours.
Abdul Awal, who owns a tuck shop in the building, told CTV Ottawa he saw the victim when she sat with her daughter in the lobby about half an hour before she was killed.
He said she hugged and kissed her daughter, as though she knew something bad was going to happen.
"It could be she thought she may not see her anymore," said Awal.
The woman's 18-month-old daughter has been taken into protective custody. An officer was seen holding the girl in the shade of a tree as police investigated the murder scene on Saturday. The child was not injured in the dispute.
"Anything at all you can do to make them more comfortable, you do because they have to live with this for the rest of their lives, and that's really tragic," said Ottawa police Staff-Sgt. John McGetrick.
Gebere was ordered not to communicate with the child or another woman. Outside the courthouse, Gebere's lawyer said his client does not have a previous criminal record and refused to comment on his client's state of mind.
"At this point no, it's a difficult situation for everybody, but I'm not going to provide any details on his state of mind at this point," said Samir Adam.
Gebere will be back in court via video link on July 26.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr
