Ottawa Police Still in Search of Suspect Involved in Violent Home Invasion
Ottawa police are still on the lookout for oneof two suspects involved in a violent home invasion which took place recently in Vanier. The second suspect who was arrested close to the area remains in police custody. According to the report on CBC News, when interviewed, the neighbours report that they’ve had several problems with criminal activity in the neighbourhood and have also observed drug activity on the street.
The two men had gained forced entry into a home in the 300 blocks of Lafontaine Avenue around 8:30 p.m, they had stabbed a 25-year-old male who was inside the home and beaten him severally with a pistol, they also stole and made away with several items before police were called to the scene. The victim who sustained life-threatening injuries was rushed to the hospital.
Police arrested one of the suspects Samatar Said-Fahmi, 23, and he has been charged with attempted murder, breaking and entering robbery, aggravated assault and several weapons charges.
They have also issued a warrant for the second man, Andrew Carter, 19, who remains at large. He is wanted on numerous charges including attempted murder, breaking and entering, robbery and weapons-related charges. He has been described as a fair complexioned white male, who is about five-feet-eight-inches tall and 190 pounds, with brown hair. If spotted, police have advised people not to approach him and to call 911.
Anyone who has information that could lead to solving the case is requested to contact the Ottawa Police Robbery Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5116 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
In another development, Global News reports that convicted rapist and killer Paul Bernardo has been denied early release. He was denied parole by a National Parole Board panel at the Millhaven Institution in eastern Ontario.
Bernado has spent over 25 years of his life sentence in jail for the kidnap, torture and killing of two teen girls in the early 1990s. Bernardo and wife Karla Homolka had in 1991 kidnapped, tortured and killed Leslie Mahaffy, 14, before cutting up her body, burying it in cement and dumping them in a nearby lake. In 1992, Bernardo also tortured and killed Kristen French, 15, after holding her captive for three days.
The convict, now 54-year-old told the parole board that he regrets his past actions and considers them dreadful, arguing that he has changed during his time behind bars.
“What I did was so dreadful. I hurt a lot of people,” He said. “I cry all the time.”
Debbie Mahaffy, the mother to Leslie Mahaffy, was there to bear testimony at the hearing. She described the pain the family had been through as crushing, lamenting that the parole hearing has rekindled the pain. She described the convict’s actions as “unspeakable and brutally sadistic acts”
“This is an emotional hell for us,” she said amidst tears.
Donna French, mother of the second victim also spoke at the hearing, pleading that the convict should be made to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“How does one describe such immeasurable pain so as to give even the slightest understanding of the overwhelming sadness, the emptiness, and pain we feel even after 26 years of dealing with our loss?” French said.