A Montreal man was found guilty of first-degree murder in the daylight slaying in an Ottawa park of a young mother in front of two of her children.
Fsha Tekhle’s conviction for the Oct. 24, 2024 killing comes with an automatic sentence of life without parole for 25 years.
On Oct. 24, 2024, at about 11:24 a.m. Brkti Berhe was stabbed multiple times by Tekhle. The 36-year-old mother was at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive in Ottawa’s south end with two of her four children when Tekhle attacked her. Brkti succumbed to her injuries and died at the park that morning.
Tekhle, 38, was arrested shortly after fleeing the scene.
The 12-person jury, comprised of six men and six women, spent almost five days weighing the evidence before reaching a verdict early Saturday morning. They heard instructions from Justice Ian Carter on Monday Nov. 2 before beginning deliberations.
The daylight killing was a shock to the community.
Tekhle has not denied to committing the killing throughout the duration of the eight week trial. At issue for the jury was whether the accused had intent to kill Berhe that morning two years ago.
The defence argued that Tekhle drove to Ottawa to return Ngisti’s belongings and did not plan and intend to commit murder. The weapon, a butcher knife, was among the belongings he brought from Montreal to return to Ngisti.
Witnesses in the trial described the victim’s reaction to the stabbings as “terror screams,” according to the Crown, adding there was a “rapid succession of blows directed to the victim’s upper body, chest, neck and head,” with an estimated eight to 12 strikes.
“No one in this courtroom will be able to comprehend what happened on Oct. 24, 2024,” said the husband of the victim in an impact statement in front of the defendant and the jury.
“I have to accept the reality that she is no longer with us,” he said.
The crown argued the killing was intentional and deliberate, while the defence argued that Tekhle’s reaction was “sudden, explosive, uncontrolled” asking the jury to hand down a manslaughter verdict instead.
The killing wasn’t random.
Tekhle typed out a single word on Facebook at 11:40 a.m. “Tefetsemeh” which translates to “It has been done,” according to evidence presented in court.
After fleeing the scene, at 11:32, Tekhle sent a voice message to Ngisti Berhe, a relative of the victim who had been in a domestic relationship with Tekhle. Ngisti had fled the Montreal home she shared with the accused just weeks before, seeking refuge with Brkti.
According to the Crown, Ngisti left Tekhle on Oct. 7, 2024, when she fled because she was “afraid for her life.”
The high-profile femicide trial lasted eight weeks before a verdict was reached.
The Ottawa Police Service characterized her death as a “femicide,” using the term that suggests the killing was related to the victim’s gender.
