She had filed a complaint against her husband a few months before his death: Dahia Khellaf, a woman likely killed by her partner after a separation, found dead in December 2019, had reported the worrying and controlling behavior of her partner. The man had also killed their two young children before killing himself, a tragedy which caused shockwaves at the time.
What there is to know
- The start of the coroner’s investigation reveals that in August 2018, Dahia Khellaf filed a complaint against her husband, Nabil Yssaad. The couple had two young boys and lived in the Pointe-aux-Trembles area of Montreal.
- A court order prohibiting Nabil Yssaad from approaching or communicating with his ex-partner was imposed in December 2019.
- A few days later, Dahia Khellaf and her two children were found dead in their home. Nabil Yssaad allegedly killed them before killing himself in Joliette.
This is what emerged at the start of the coroner’s public inquest into this triple murder. An investigation was requested in May 2023 to clarify the circumstances of the deaths.
Remember that in December 2019, Dahia Khellaf and her children Adam, 4, and Aksil, 2, were found dead in their home in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Montreal.
It is probably Nabil Yssaad, the partner of the mother and father of the two boys, who allegedly committed this triple murder. The 46-year-old man then killed himself by throwing himself from the sixth floor of the psychiatric department of a Joliette hospital in front of employees. He had never been treated at this hospital, according to information revealed during the investigation.
Sad scene at home
It was after the man’s death that patrol officers went to M’s home.me Khellaf to inform him of the situation.
However, they discovered a horror scene in the Pointe-aux-Trembles residence: the mother and her lifeless children in the bed in the master bedroom.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM DAHIA KHELLAF’S FACEBOOK PAGE
The adult victim, Dahia Khellaf
The three bodies were carefully placed on the bed “like a staging,” explained agent Olivier Chouinard-Lavigne, patrolman with the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM). There was no trace of a fight or the weapon used. The police did not notice any signs of forced entry. This all leads the authorities to believe that Nabil Yssaad would have disguised the scene to try to hide his crime. Coroner Alain Manseau concluded in his report that the victims had been strangled to death and that Nabil Yssaad was probably the killer.
Domestic violence at the heart of the drama
“We are going to enter the very personal life of a couple,” explained coroner M on Monday morning.e Andrée Kronström, who chairs the investigation. She added that Dahia Khellaf had filed a complaint against her spouse in August 2018 and would have asked for help from organizations.
Nabil Yssaad was accused in a domestic violence case following this complaint, indicated Jonathan Perron, detective sergeant at the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), during his testimony before the coroner. He was not allowed to come to his partner’s home or workplace or communicate with her, according to an order issued on December 4, 2019, a few days before the triple murder.
Dahia Khellaf, 42, and her husband were separated when the tragedy occurred, witnesses confirmed Monday. The woman had even initiated divorce proceedings.
The investigation, which should last two weeks, continues tomorrow at the Joliette courthouse.