St. John's Syrian community shocked by woman's slaying; police lay murder charges

The St. John's Syrian community is grieving and expressing shock following the slaying this week of a mother of five children who went to police several months ago about alleged abuse at the hands of her husband.

CBC News has confirmed that Nariman Abdul Alghafour was the woman found dead Tuesday morning inside an abandoned home on Liam Drive, a secluded gravel road in Outer Cove.

It's also been confirmed that her husband, Ibrahim Alahmad, 36, who was under a court order to stay away from his wife and children, staggered to an automotive shop located next door to the abandoned house, covered in blood, and with wounds to his neck and wrist.

On Thursday afternoon, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary issued a press release, announcing that a 36-year-old is charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

The RNC is not identifying the accused "to protect the identity of the victim," but those in the Syrian community are grief-stricken.

"The news was horrible and is still horrible and everyone is still struggling to believe it," said Mona Alkhalil, a friend of the victim and an outspoken member of the Syrian community, which includes roughly 200 families on the northeast Avalon Peninsula.

Multiple sources and a police briefing have helped the CBC News piece together some of what happened Tuesday morning, and court documents paint a picture of a household torn apart by allegations of abuse.

"Everyone is mad at this point because he should not have been released outside in the street," said Alkhalil.

The couple and two children came to Canada from Syria more than a decade ago, according to those who know them, and they had three more children after settling in St. John's.

But court documents accuse Alahmad of being abusive to his wife and children, and he was already facing a long list of charges, including assault with a weapon, making threats and forcible confinement. Some of the charges are as fresh as two months ago.

While the charges were laid in December and January, the alleged offences date back as far as 2012. 

At one point, Nariman and her children were placed in a shelter for family members experiencing domestic violence, but they recently returned to their publicly owned townhouse on Middleton Street in the Virginia Park area of St. John's. Neighbours say new doors and locks were installed on the house as an added security measure.

Documents show there was an arrest warrant issued in January for Alahmad after he failed to show for a scheduled appearance. He was taken into custody but was released in late January, on the condition that he not have any contact with his wife, children and a list of others.

According to the docket, his next court appearance is scheduled for March 20.