Son charged with second-degree murder of his mother in Barrhaven

Ottawa Police have labelled the killing of a Barrhaven woman who suffered “traumatic injuries” as a femicide. The force defines femicide as “the misogynist killing of women and girls because of their gender”.

According to an updated press release, a 30-year-old man is charged with the second-degree murder of his mother. The accused is also facing an attempted murder charge of an older relative in her 80s.

It happened on Thursday around 9:44 p.m. in the 500 block of Ashbourne Crescent, a residential street near the Minto Recreation Complex. Paramedics told CityNews they responded at 10:00 p.m.

They found the man’s mother with traumatic injuries, who was pronounced dead on scene. Paramedics said they treated the older family member who also suffered traumatic injuries. She was stabilized by crews during transport and was in serious but stable condition.

“Given the injuries, I will not speculate on the weapon used,” Marc-Antoine Deschamps, Superintendent of Public Information for Ottawa Paramedics, said. “I will leave it to Ottawa Police as this is part of their investigation.”

Officials said there is no risk to public safety.

This is Ottawa’s first femicide of the year and the city’s fifth homicide.

Rise of intimate partner violence in Ottawa

There was a 6 per cent increase in the number of incidents of intimate partner violence in the nation’s capital year-over-year.

Ottawa police detail that there were 7,840 intimate partner violence incidents reported, where the vast majority (80 per cent) of victims are women or girls. Officials said they are releasing the data to bring “awareness about the increasing rates of violence against women in our community.”

There were four homicides last year in which women were targeted.

Police describe femicide as “the killing of women and girls because of their gender.” In 2024, Ottawa police were the first force in Canada to use the term, hoping to recognize the increasing epidemic of violence.