Man pleads guilty to 'monstrous' 2024 stabbing attack that killed six
A 20-year-old man has pleaded guilty to killing six people, including four children, their mother, and a family friend, during a mass stabbing in Ottawa in 2024. The case has been described by the judge as "monstrous" due to its brutality.
The attacker, identified as Febrio De Zoysa, also admitted guilt for the attempted murder of the family’s father, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who survived but sustained serious injuries. At the time of the attack on March 6, 2024, De Zoysa was a 19-year-old international student living with the Wickramasinghe family in the basement of their Barrhaven home.
Police arrested De Zoysa at the scene without resistance. He was initially charged with six counts of first-degree murder the following day. On Thursday, he appeared in Ottawa’s Superior Court alongside his lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, to formally enter his plea.
Details of the guilty plea
- Four counts of first-degree murder, which carry a mandatory life sentence with no parole eligibility for 25 years.
- Two counts reduced to second-degree murder involving 35-year-old mother Darshani Ekanayake and her two-month-old baby, Kelly Wickramasinghe.
"The sentences for those murders are automatic: life in prison with no ability to apply for parole for 25 years."
Pleading down to lesser charges, such as second-degree murder, is a typical part of plea bargains in Canadian law, often leading to slightly more lenient sentencing terms while avoiding a lengthy trial.
Author’s Summary
Febrio De Zoysa, a former student in Ottawa, admitted to killing six people in a devastating 2024 stabbing, accepting life imprisonment without parole for 25 years.
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