One of the teenage girls allegedly killed by members of her Afghan-born family in Kingston, Ont., had been dating a Pakistani boy in Montreal against her parents' wishes, according to a man and woman who say they are siblings of one of the victims.
Zainab Shafia had gone out several times with the boy and even left the family home once, and was roughed up by her younger brother as a result, according to the relatives, Diba Masoomi and Wali Abdali, who live in France.
The bodies of 19-year-old Zainab Shafia and her sisters, aged 17 and 13, were found in a submerged car in a lock near Kingston last month. Rona Mohammad – the sister of Ms. Masoomi and Mr. Abdali – was also killed.
The girls' parents and 18-year-old brother Hamed Mohammad-Shafia are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
“She [Zainab] had fallen in love, like all teenagers at a certain point,” Mr. Abdali told CTV News. “The parents didn't like that she should marry a Pakistani boy without money or wealth. They didn't want it to be seen by society, or by other Afghans.”
Rona, 50, confided to her two siblings that she overheard Mr. Shafia saying he would kill his eldest daughter over her behaviour and the relationship.
The Shafia family had told reporters after the deaths that Rona was the father's cousin. Mr. Abdali said that, in fact, his sister Rona was married to Mohammad Shafia but was unable to bear children. He took a second wife with whom he had seven children. Rona remained in the family and helped raised the children.
But family tensions had worsened. Mr. Shafia, a well-to-do businessman, was authoritarian and violent; Rona feared for her life, her brother said.
“The family situation had deteriorated,” he said. The second wife, Tooba Mohammad Yehya, didn't want the first wife around, he said.
Rona was nervous about going on the trip to Niagara Falls but Mr. Shafia insisted; in the household, he was “the master,” Mr. Adbali said. Rona had wanted to get a divorce but her husband refused, he said.
Zainab and her two younger sisters were close, “kept secrets” among themselves and confided in Rona, the siblings in France said.
Mr. and Mrs. Shafia told reporters at their home this month that they had pulled into a Kingston motel late at night after a long drive from Niagara Falls, and only discovered their daughters' missing car in the morning. But Rona called relatives in Europe at about 3 p.m. local Canadian time and said the family had already pulled into the motel.
They planned to set off to Montreal at around midnight to avoid traffic, Rona said.
The relative told Rona to be careful, but Rona tried to be reassuring, her brother said. “No, no, no, the children are with us, we're all together,” she said.
A few hours later, Rona and the three sisters were dead.
