Toronto neurosurgeon accused of killing his wife was once charged with assaulting her

The Toronto neurosurgeon charged with first-degree murder in his wife's death was also charged with threatening to kill her in 2005.

Dr. Mohammed Shamji was charged with one count of assault and two counts of uttering death threats in May 2005, Ottawa provincial court records show. The complainant wasElana Fric-Shamji, according to a police source connected to the currentmurder investigation in Toronto.

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In July 2005, the crown agreed to withdraw the charges in return for apeace bond with various conditions, including for Shamjito not communicate or associate with his wife, and to not be within 200 metres of her place of residence, unless with her consent which could be "withdrawn at any time."

The peace bond also stipulated Shamji"not possess any weapons" and "continue counseling and treatment" with a physician.

The couple, who were entering the second year of their marriage, had been living in Ottawa at the time.

It's unclear what happened between the coupleduring the months the charges were laid and they were withdrawn. Ottawa provincial court staff could not provide the exact conditions of the peace bond as some of the case files have been archived.

Shamjinow facing first-degree murder charge

In 2012, the couple moved to Torontowith their children. Fric-Shamji, a physician at the ScarboroughHospital whose expertise was in medical policy, was found dead in Vaughan, Ont., on Thursday.

Her husband was arrested at a coffee shop Friday. He hasbeen in custody since then and was charged with first-degree murder on Saturday.

The news of both Fric-Shamji's death and of her husband's arrest shocked patients and friends.Photos on social media catalogued family trips and smiling snapshots of the couple.

But the prominent family doctor's sister and colleagues told CBC News that the marriage was in trouble and thatFric-Shamji had filed for divorce.

"She said she was looking forward to a new beginning," her Ontario Medical Association colleague,Dr. Darren Cargill, recalled in a recent interview.

The couple's three children are in the care of Fric-Shamji's family.

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