Selma Alem sought protection against son in weeks before Coventry Hills killings

Selma Alem's relationship with her son had been fraught since her other child was murdered 10 years earlier, but she felt so scared of him in the last five months of her life that she repeatedly soughtemergency protection orders (EPO), according to court documents obtained by the CBC.

EmanuelKahsai, 30, wasarrested Friday morning and later charged with first-degree murderin the death ofAlem, 54, and second-degree murder in the death ofJulieTran, 25, whose bodies were discovered in Alem's home in Calgary'sCoventry Hills neighbourhoodon Oct. 19.

Alemworked as a caregiver forTranand another person in the home, according to police.

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In seeking the emergency protection orders, which would make it illegal for Kahsaito comewithin 500 metres of his mother, Alemtold the judge that her sonwas "angry with the whole world."

"It's been bad always, like, the last 10 years. His brother was killed and after that he just angry, drinking," Alem told the judge.

In 2005, Alem's other son, Michael Kahsai, was killed with a meat cleaver ina Forest Lawn home. Another Calgary manwas convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Alem was first granted an emergency protectionorderon June 9 but hada "change of heart"because she felt sorrythat her son was sleeping in a car so she dropped it in August, according to court documents.

She requested another emergency order in September,when she told the judge her son was drinking, doing drugs and calling her offensive names.

He broke several windows at her home and even threatened to kill her, she told court.

Alem told a judge that she feared her son would either kill himself or harm her.

A Court of Queen's Bench judge upheld the order as recently as Oct. 8less than two weeks before the day that Alem and Tran arebelieved to have been killed.

At that time,Kahsaiwas under an ordernot to be within 500 metres of his mother.

Kahsai had also been charged with threatening Alem just days before her death.

Kahsai was supposed to appear in a Calgary courtroom Friday morning onthree charges each of assault with a weapon anduttering threats.Between May 22 and Oct. 16, heis alleged to have threatened his mother and two others, including another family member.

However, hewas excused from the court appearance because he was at police headquarters being questionedin the women's killings.

Women killed up to 2 days before bodies discovered

On Friday afternoon, homicide detectives brought Kahsai into the arrest processing unit and later formally charged him in connection with the deaths.

Police believe the women were killed up to48 hours beforetheir bodies werefound.

A close family friend said Alem's sister was visiting from Eritrea the week before her death but left because she was scared ofher nephew.

Officers discovered the women's bodies at a home in the 200 block of Coventry Close N.E. after Alem's friend was unable to contact herand asked police to check on her welfare.