An international student has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years after pleading guilty to the March 6, 2024 stabbing deaths of six people at a home in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven.Febrio De-Zoysa, 19, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and one count of attempted murder on Thursday at the Ottawa Courthouse.The victims were: Darshani Ekanayake, 35; her seven-year-old son, Inuka; four-year-old daughter, Ashwini; three-year-old daughter, Ranaya; and two-month-old daughter, Kelly, all of whom had recently immigrated from Sri Lanka. Forty-year-old Gamini Amarakoon, an acquaintance of the family, was also found deceased at the home.The only survivor of the incident was Ekanayake’s husband, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who was also seriously injured.De-Zoysa had been staying with the family.Wickramasinghe provided a victim impact statement to the court Thursday afternoon, saying, “My only wish was to give my wife and children the best possible life.“I wake up every day with their faces in my heart. There is no recovery from this. I can only hope by helping others I can honour them.”.The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) confirmed officers responded to 911 calls reporting a “suspicious incident where a male was yelling and asking people to call 911.”De-Zoysa was arrested at the scene by officers.Facts presented in court on Thursday stated that De-Zoysa attacked Amarakoon first after luring him to watch a movie. He then murdered three of the children in the living room.The statement of facts heard by the court said Ekanayake heard screams coming from the living room and ran downstairs.De-Zoysa then chased her and stabbed her before killing Kelly in the primary bedroom.The court then heard De-Zoysa waited at the residence for hours until Wickramasinghe arrived.De-Zoysa then proceeded to ambush him when he walked through the garage door.According to the agreed statement of facts, De-Zoysa had $2.24 in his bank account at the end of Feb. 2024 and had stopped going to classes at Algonquin College.The court heard that De-Zoysa believed failing the semester would result in him not graduating and would result in his parents ending financial support and the cancellation of his student visa..Mass stabbing attacker killed brother before murderous rampage.“They’ve been nothing but good to me. It’s nothing personal. I didn’t know what to do,” De-Zoysa told police, according to the agreed statement of facts.“I was going to be deported. I had no choice. I killed them all.”Presiding Justice Kevin Phillips called the case one of the worst crimes in Ottawa’s history that “shocked the community and shook it to its core.”“Stupefying, monstrous, even demonic. You are the stuff of nightmares,” Phillips said.“If I could give consecutive sentences, I would.”De-Zoysa addressed the courtroom before sentencing.“I’m deeply sorry for what I’ve done,” De-Zoysa stated.“I will spend the rest of my life accepting responsibility for the harm I’ve caused... I’m not well. I was not having rational thoughts at that time. I was suicidal and depressed. I was not in a good position mentally.“I’m truly sorry. I hope you can all find peace one day.”
