Judge rules that trial of Mohammed Shamji will go ahead

A judge has ruled that the trial of Mohammed Shamji, a Toronto neurosurgeon accused of killing his wife, will go ahead.

Shamji was arrested in December 2016 after Elana Fric, his wife of 15 years, was discovered slain in a suitcase near an underpass in Vaughan, Ont.

His legal team had pushed for a lesser charge, but on Friday, a judge ruled that he will stand trial for first-degree murder.

He's also charged with indignity to human remains.

Shamji's lawyer, Liam O'Connor, told CBC Toronto that Shamji will appearin Superior Court on April 6.

Though it has yet to be determined, O'Connor said he believes a trial will likely take place in spring2019.

Fric, also a physician, had three children with Shamji. The pair met in medical school.

Shamji had previously been charged with one count of assault and two counts of uttering death threats in 2005, and Fric was the complainant.