MONTREAL—The Laval police aren’t ruling out a case of mistaken identity in the murder of Lida Phon.
The 32-year-old mother and real estate agent was gunned down while sitting in her parked car at home on Sunday morning in the Comedey sector of Laval.
Her husband, Ziad Ziade, 32, was known to police and had contact with criminals, according to Laval police spokeswoman Nathalie Lorrain. In 2000, the Lebanese-born man was convicted of drug trafficking and production.
Ziade contacted Laval police on Sunday morning after finding his wife’s bullet-riddled body in the BMW parked in the family’s garage. In a quiet section of the suburban city near the 13 Highway, investigators are also investigating whether the murder was a case of mistaken address or the result of a domestic dispute.
According to investigators, the murder took place during the night from Saturday to Sunday, after Phon returned home from an evening with her family. Suicide has been ruled out.
Police have found at least 10 bullets fired at the vehicle, with neighbours having heard no sounds, investigators believe a silencer was used. With tinted windows in the dark of night, Lorrain said that police believe mistaken identity is a real possibility.
The murder was the second in Laval in 2012. Two weeks ago, a gang member was killed at his home in the same sector of the city.
—with files from The Canadian Press.
