A 20-year-old man has admitted to killing four children, their mother, and a family friend in a stabbing spree in Ottawa. Febrio De Zoysa, who was 19 at the time of the attack on March 6, 2024, pleaded guilty in Ottawa’s Superior Court to four counts of first-degree murder.
De Zoysa also admitted to attempting to kill the father of the family, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who survived the attack. The victims included the family’s three-year-old daughter, Ranaya Wickramasinghe, their four-year-old daughter, Ashwini Wickramasinghe, and their seven-year-old son, Inuka Wickramasinghe. The family friend, 40-year-old Gamini Amarakoon, was also among those tragically killed.
The murders shocked the Ottawa community, with the mayor describing it as one of the most heinous acts of violence the city had ever witnessed. De Zoysa, a Sri Lankan national, lived with the Wickramasinghe family as an international student in their basement in Ottawa’s Barrhaven neighborhood.
In court, it was revealed that De Zoysa carried out the brutal killings because he had financial difficulties and did not want to return to Sri Lanka when his student visa expired. He expressed feelings of frustration and hopelessness, leading to his violent actions.
The sentencing for the murders is mandatory, with De Zoysa facing life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 25 years. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the deaths of the mother, Darshani Ekanayake, and her two-month-old baby, Kelly Wickramasinghe.
The tragic incident deeply impacted the families of the victims, with emotional victim impact statements shared in court. Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who lost his wife and children in the attack, expressed his profound grief and gratitude for the support he received after the tragedy.
De Zoysa, showing remorse during the proceedings, apologized for his actions and acknowledged the pain he caused. The court accepted a joint position for sentencing, imposing a life sentence for all six murders and an additional 25-year sentence for the attempted murder.
The judge condemned De Zoysa’s actions as monstrous and sentenced him accordingly, emphasizing the need to protect society from such extreme acts of violence. The court proceedings concluded with a somber acknowledgment of the devastating impact of the tragedy on the victims’ families and the community.