'Bangladeshi' man charged with first-degree murders in Canada
The 23-year-old was arrested at the home where three women and a man were found dead.
Four counts of first-degree murder have been laid against a 23-year-old man who was arrested at a home where three women and a man were found dead, Canadian police announced on Monday.
Believed to be of Bangladeshi origin, Menhaz Zaman was taken into custody at the scene of the crime on Sunday, when York Regional Police (YRP) responded to a call shortly before 3 pm EDT to a residence in Markham of Ontario.
Upon arriving they found three women and one man dead. Police have declined to identify the deceased or the cause of death.
“We do believe that the man we have in custody that’s now been charged is responsible for these murders,” Andy Pattenden, a media relations officer with the YRP, told reporters on Monday.
It has been reported that the victims are Menhaz's family members. However, officials are yet to confirm the identities of the victims.
The coroner’s report is expected within a couple of days after which police will release the identities of victims.
The arrestee appeared to have sent online messages to friends about the killings shortly after they occurred, according to the two people who received them.
"I've just slaughtered my entire family, and will most likely spend life in jail if i manage to survive," a user going by the name Menhaz posted to Discord, software used by hundreds of millions of gamers around the world to communicate online.
"i wanted them to die so that they didn't suffer knowing how much of a pathetic subhuman i was. its all very selfish."
“I choose to kill them instead of my out of cowardess (sic) due to me being an atheist. I believe that this is the only life we get,” Menhaz wrote.
The messages appear to have been sent around midnight on Sunday, more than 12 hours before police were called.
In a series of posts shared to several players of a private gaming server called Perfect World Void Menhaz also described how he skipped university after failing multiple courses.
Menhaz, who was later confirmed by the neighbors to be him, said he became depressed and visited the mall and went to the gym most days instead of going to school.
The administrator of the site wrote that Menhaz was banned from the game platform earlier this month for being “more offensive than the usual.” It’s alleged the user used “self-devaluing” screen names, such as “sub-human” and “don’t deserve life.”
Menhaz appeared in an Ontario courtroom on Monday and remanded into custody. The police said he is expected to reappear in court via video link on August 2.
The allegations haven’t been proven in court as of yet.
