**CONTENT WARNING: The following article discusses a murder case involving children and mentions suicide ideation.
A young man, aged 20, has admitted to murdering four children, their mother, and a family friend in Ottawa through a mass stabbing incident. The perpetrator, Febrio De Zoysa, also confessed to attempting to murder the father of the family, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who sustained severe injuries.
At the time of the tragic event on March 6, 2024, De Zoysa, then a 19-year-old international student, was residing in the Wickramasinghe family’s basement in Barrhaven, Ottawa.
Following the incident, De Zoysa was apprehended at the scene without resistance and was formally charged with six counts of first-degree murder the subsequent day.
Standing alongside his lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, in Ottawa’s Superior Court, De Zoysa pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder charges of four victims, including the family’s three-year-old daughter, Ranaya Wickramasinghe, and their seven-year-old son, Inuka Wickramasinghe. Additionally, he admitted to killing Gamini Amarakoon, a 40-year-old family friend and tenant, among others.
- The sentences for the aforementioned murders mandate a life imprisonment term with no parole eligibility for 25 years.
For the two remaining victims, mother Darshani Ekanayake, 35, and her two-month-old baby, Kelly Wickramasinghe, De Zoysa accepted a plea deal for second-degree murder charges, a common practice in plea agreements.
The brutal murders, described by Ottawa’s mayor as one of the most appalling acts of violence in the city’s history, garnered national attention across Canada and also captivated media in Sri Lanka.
Except for the infant, the victims were Sri Lankan immigrants to Canada, as was Amarakoon, who was working to support his family back in their homeland.
De Zoysa, the perpetrator, is a citizen of Sri Lanka.
Key Testimony in Court
During an interview with a homicide investigator post-arrest, De Zoysa revealed that despite the Wickramasinghe family’s kindness towards him, financial difficulties and the fear of returning to Sri Lanka upon the expiration of his student visa led him to carry out the gruesome act of violence.
He expressed frustration with societal norms and his own perceived weaknesses, citing these as motivations for the tragic incident.
Days prior to the slayings, De Zoysa had acquired a hunting knife with the intent to end his life. His declining academic performance, coupled with financial strains, exacerbated his mental state, ultimately culminating in the fatal attack.
The violent episode unfolded on March 6, 2024, while Dhanushka Wickramasinghe was occupied with his work responsibilities. De Zoysa, having meticulously planned the assault, carried out a series of brutal stabbings that claimed the lives of several family members and their friend.
Subsequently, Wickramasinghe, upon returning home, encountered De
