A woman strangled with her two young sons by an abusive husband never wanted to press charges against him but fought in vain to get help for her mental health issues.
“I don’t want him to look like a criminal, my husband is just sick.” This is what Dahia Khellaf told police officers when she showed up at a neighborhood police station in August 2018, fearing for her safety.
In December 2019, the 42-year-old woman and her two young sons, aged four and two, were found dead in their home in Pointe-aux-Trembles. A few hours later, Nabil Yssaad rushed out of a hospital near Joliette to take his own life.
A public inquiry is underway to shed light on these four deaths.
People had left stuffed animals in front of the home in the Pointe-aux-Trembles district where the mother and her two small children, aged 4 and 2, were killed by the father of the family in December 2019. Photo Frédérique Giguère
“I’m going to cut you up.”
More than a year before her murder, Ms. Khellaf recounted several episodes of domestic violence in a meeting with two Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) officers. Her husband had already thrown her to the ground, pressed her face into the ground and threatened to kill her.
“I will kill you, I will cut you into pieces, I will go to prison and the children will be taken care of by the government,” he allegedly told her during an argument. Another time he ran after her with a pair of scissors in his hand.
Nabil Yssaad, deceased murderer archive photo
However, Ms Khellaf did not want her husband to have a criminal record but said she was willing to testify in court about his mental health condition. She believed he suffered from schizophrenia because he said nonsensical sentences and was convinced his neighbors had put a spell on him.
The couple even met with a family doctor. “Physician […] “Informed the victim not to upset her husband or push him to his limits while she awaited the outcome,” noted Detective Sergeant Caroline Raza of the SPVM in her report.
On August 27, 2018, two charges of assault were filed against the 46-year-old father. After his appearance at the courthouse, Nabil Yssaad was released under conditions that he had to respect, including not having contact with his partner.
At that time he was assessed by a criminologist from the Philippe Pinel Institute: “Nothing indicated that the gentleman had a psychological problem. He was calm, cooperative, he had no psychiatric history,” summarized Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Me Pascal Dostaler.
He also made it clear that the prosecution could not force therapy on the defendants.
No proof
The victim returned to living with her husband a few months after the charges were filed. The conditions of his release were also relaxed to allow him to be released. And since she refused to testify against him, the Crown had no evidence to present to a judge.
A few days before he took action, Nabil Yssaad was acquitted by signing an undertaking not to have contact with his partner and also to lose custody of his children.
“This type of drama is every prosecutor’s nightmare. No decision is made lightly,” assured Me Pascal Dostaler.
If you need help
If you are a victim of domestic violence, contact SOS Violenceconjugale at 1 800 363-9010 / Consult https://sosviolenceconjugale.ca/fr
Quebec suicide prevention hotline 1-866-CALL (277-3553) / www.aqps.info