Four people found dead in a Markham, Ontario, residence on Sunday afternoon were killed, York Regional Police have confirmed as a man arrested at the scene is set for a court appearance Monday. Const. Andy Pattenden told CBC Toronto that the man, 20, is in custody and will appear in court "at some point today." Pattenden also said the identities of the four would not be released until after post-mortems.
An earlier version of the CBC article said police would not disclose the relationship, if any, between the residents of the house and the man taken into custody. UPDATE added at 0750: That man has now been identified (even on the CBC!) as 23-year-old Menhaz Zaman, of Markham. He is charged with four counts of murder in the first degree.
Markham is a burgeoning town just northeast of the Little Apple. The majority of its residents are Chinese. Agent 78 tuned in to Fairchild Radio, the local Chinese-language outlet, and learned that the family -- for they were all related -- were south Asians. Another source quoted a family friend named "Rafiq" as saying they were a happy family who had just that weekend had a lovely picnic at Bluffer's Park in nearby Scarborough.
South Asian family. Domestic violence. Murder. Don't be surprised if, as Walt hereby predicts, this turns out to be an "honour killing" -- some sort of domestic situation arising from someone not following the strict laws of Islam regarding dress and deportment, or choice of spouse.
Such things are not unknown among the Middle Eastern and south Asian immigrant communities of Toronto and Vancouver. See, for example, the still-shocking Shafia murder case, in which an Afghan immigrant to Canada, his second wife (in a polygamous marriage) and his son, all devout followers of the Prophet, were convicted of the murder by drowning of the man's first wife and three of his daughters by his second wife.
Don't be surprised, either, if Walt and others who dare to suggest that people who believe that such atrocities are justifiable if it's a matter of honour or fidelity to one's religion shouldn't be admitted to our supposedly Christian countries are called "racists", "Islamophobes" and all the other pejoratives hurled at those who make the link between barbaric cultural practices and heathen religions. Lifetime pct .988.
UPDATE added at 1145: Walt is not the type to say "I told you so." Keep that in mind as you look at this pic of the murder victims -- Menham Zaman's father, mother, grandmother and sister. Why would a young man kill not only his parents, but his granny and his sister too? It may be some time before we learn the answer... if ever.
Further reading: "Max Bernier's PPC policy on immigration, in point form", WWW 25/7/19.
