Three young men have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder after a pregnant woman and her partner were found dead in Bowmanville, Ont., last year.
Durham Region police Det. Sgt. Brad Corner said Friday that police believe the deaths were the result of a "targeted killing and not a robbery."
Corner said police have not been able to identify the motive behind the crime.
"The ongoing investigation into the murders has been lengthy and remains an open investigation as we work to determine the specific motives of the murders," he said at a news conference.
"We are unfortunately not in any position to discuss any potential evidence or theories related to the murder investigation."
Officers were called to a home at around 2:15 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2023, Corner said.
Officers found 28-year-old Aram Kamel and 26-year-old Rafad Alzubaidy lying dead on the main floor of the home, police said. They were shot multiple times at close range and Alzubaidy was six months pregnant when she was killed, Corner said.
"The murders occurred at approximately 12:50 a.m. earlier that day," he said.
"The Durham Regional Police Service Homicide Unit launched an extensive and exhausting investigation. Police seized hundreds of hours of CCTV video."
Police said a 21-year-old man with no fixed address, a 21-year-old man from Toronto and a 20-year-old man from Toronto were arrested this week and are each charged with two counts of first degree murder.
He said the investigation is still ongoing into other people who may have been criminally responsible for the murders.
"We do believe that there are other people that are responsible for arranging this murder," he said.
"That's what we're asking for, the public, if they have any information in relation to that to contact police."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2024.
The Canadian Press
