The Toronto neurosurgeon accused of killing his doctor wife returned to a courtroom on Monday as lawyers prepare to get the trial underway.
Dressed in a dark, fitted suit, Dr. Mohammed Shamji sat handcuffed in a prisoner’s booth and stared straight ahead while his lawyer talked with Crown prosecutors.
Shamji has been in custody since his arrest on December 2, 2016.
The 40-year-old is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of his wife, Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji.
The family physician was found stuffed in a suitcase that was discarded in a wooded area in Kleinburg, Ont. on December 1, 2016.
Police believe Fric-Shamji was murdered at her home either Nov. 30 or Dec. 1. An autopsy determined that the 41-year-old died by strangulation and blunt force trauma.
At the time of her death, friends suggested the couple’s marriage was troubled.
The couple has three children together.
Fric-Shamji’s friends family were in attendance on Monday, all wearing purple ribbons on their shirts as a symbol of domestic violence awareness.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on April 10. The trial is expected to last six weeks.
