Police suspect murder-suicide in deaths of Laval couple
Going through messy divorce, couple had history of domestic violence
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 | 4:31 PM ET
CBC News
Police say a Laval man shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide that has orphaned three children.
The bodies of Mahboub el-Hage and Jinane Ghannoum were found in this Laval home Tuesday afternoon. (CBC) Mahboub el-Hage and his estranged wife, Jinane Ghannoum, were found dead Tuesday afternoon in the basement of the family home on De Mézières Place in the Laval-des-Rapides neighbourhood.
Police confirmed Wednesday that el-Hage shot his wife in the head and then shot himself. The couple's 15-year-old son discovered the bodies.
Laval police Sgt. François Dumais said the couple had been going through a messy divorce and had a history of domestic violence.
"The separation was difficult and we had to [answer calls] at the address about domestic violence since August of last year," said Dumais.
He said el-Hage had moved out of the family home in December but continued to fight with his wife. The courts had issued a restraining order prohibiting him from visiting the home.
He was scheduled to appear in court later this month on assault charges.
Police said el-Hage, 57, was originally from Lebanon and was 20 years older than his wife. He worked as a taxi driver and Ghannoum was employed at a bank.
In addition to their son, the couple had two other children, aged 14 and 10. The children are being cared for by members of the extended family.
Restraining orders fall short of protection
Diane Sasson, who runs the Auberge Shalom women's shelter in Montreal, said restraining orders are far from perfect.
"We can't rely on restraining orders to keep us safe. Restraining orders can help us set a limit with an aggressor, and perhaps the aggressor will follow through with those limits. However, it's not guaranteed," she said.
Sasson said there should be tougher rules for spouses who repeatedly abuse their partners, including mandatory detainment.
She said anyone who is experiencing domestic violence can call the SOS domestic abuse hotline line at 1-800-363-9010.
Case is latest family-related homicide in Quebec
This is the third domestic homicide to take place in Quebec this year.
Cathy Gauthier-Lachance, 34, will go on trial April 6 on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of assisted suicide.
She was charged in connection to the deaths of her husband and three children in Saguenay on New Year's Day. Quebec provincial police have alleged the couple made a murder-suicide pact.
In February, police discovered the bodies of two children in a home in Piedmont in the Laurentians. Their father, Guy Turcotte, 36, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with both deaths.
Autopsies confirmed the children died of stab wounds.
