A coroner asks the Quebec government to improve services for victims of domestic violence, in her report on a murder case involving a man who strangled his wife and two sons in December 2019 in Montreal.
Coroner Andrée Kronström concludes in her report that the relationship between Dahia Khellaf and Nabil Yssaad had been marked by an escalation of violence since their “arranged marriage” in 2012.
“By entering into the intimacy of the couple, I understood that, from the marriage, the violence set in and increased,” writes Mme Kronstrom.
The coroner looked into the murders of Ms. Khellaf, aged 42, and her two sons, Adam, 4, and Aksil, 2, at their home in the Pointe-aux-Trembles district, on December 9 2019.
She also examined the suicide the next day of Nabil Yssaad, who strangled his family before going to Joliette hospital, where he threw himself out of a sixth floor window.
The couple had separated and Mme Khellaf was going through a divorce. Five days before the murders, prosecutors dropped four charges against Mr. Yssaad – including assault and threatening his wife – when he agreed to sign a peace bond. Mr. Yssaad undertook in particular to no longer contact M.me Khellaf or be less than 100 meters from her home.
Coroner Kronström says elements of the family history may be echoed in the reports of domestic violence experts who testified at hearings last fall.
His report reveals that Mr. Yssaad began insulting and humiliating his wife shortly after she arrived in Canada from Algeria in 2014. The couple had two children, born in 2015 and 2017.
Mme Khellaf first sought professional help from the Employee Assistance Program for his marital problems in 2016, and then again in 2018, after an increase in physical violence. For example, during one incident, Mr. Yssaad pushes his wife’s face to the ground while mentioning that he is going to kill her.
Conditional release
Mme Khellaf filed a police complaint in 2018 alleging two separate allegations of assault and threats. She clarifies to prosecutors from the start that her main goal is for her partner to be evaluated in psychiatry since she suspects that he suffers from schizophrenia.
Mr. Yssaad actually underwent a psychological evaluation, which revealed “no active mental illness, no suicidal danger” or “extreme violence,” we read in the coroner’s report. He is then released on condition in particular that he is not in the presence of M.me Khellaf.
A deputy chief prosecutor told the hearings that a peace bond was used in December 2019 because Mme Khellaf had refused to testify, leaving the Crown without its key witness.
The coroner says that despite the many improvements made to the services available since 2019, more support, coordination and awareness should be offered on domestic violence, particularly with regard to murder followed by suicide within the same family.
The coroner recommends in particular to the Ministry of Justice to complete the establishment, planned for 2026, of a court specializing in sexual violence and domestic violence in Montreal, planned for 2026.
She also recommends “taking the required actions” to raise awareness of the violent spouse assessment service at the stage of provisional release, and to increase the education of new immigrants and young people on domestic violence and coercive control.
The coroner concluded that Mme Khellaf had not been informed about domestic violence and coercive control, and that her husband’s risk of violence had not been properly assessed. Citing an expert committee that produced a report in 2019 on the factors leading to domestic violence, she points out that it can be difficult for victims like Mme Khellaf to break ties with their abuser, especially when children are involved.
She also suggested that the perpetrators of these domestic crimes should benefit from more resources upstream, in particular accommodation places.
“Even if the victims are at the heart of the concerns, the committee does not want to ignore the perpetrators of violence. In order to sustainably stem domestic violence, we must develop a range of quality services for abusive individuals in a preventive manner,” writes the coroner.
An expert cited in the coroner’s report said domestic homicides are particularly difficult to prevent because victims are often ashamed to talk about the attacks they suffer. Psychologist Suzanne Léveillée noted that Mr. Yssaad showed signs of a narcissistic personality, one of the warning signs in domestic homicides.
She felt that killing his estranged wife and children was his way of exerting “ultimate control” over his family, according to the report.
“By placing the family in the same bed after the murders, he meant that they would be reunited forever and that this was his final decision and takeover,” quotes the coroner. “There is no doubt, according to the expert, that he had planned his action. »
–
If you are a victim of domestic violence, you can call the SOS domestic violence emergency line at 1 800 363-9010.
If you are a victim of sexual violence, you can contact a Sexual Assault Support Center (CALACS) near you. Click here to see the list or call the Sexual Violence Helpline at 1 888 933-9007.
Men with violent behavior can contact the network à coeur d’homme, which supports the prevention of domestic and family violence, at 1 877 660-7799