Marie Gabriel was trapped in a violent relationship with an elderly man who controlled her every move – from where she worked, to whom she spoke and when she left home, according to her family and friends. Gabriel, 24, was found beaten to death in the basement of her mansion on Heatherington Road on Monday morning. She moved there in December with her two children — a boy and a girl under the age of three — to what her family hoped would be a new beginning for her. Police have charged the 40-year-old father of her children, Jean-Bruno “Berno” Fenelon, with second-degree murder. In a statement to CBC News, Fenelon’s lawyer, Michael Smith, said he was still awaiting information from police “about how the situation arose”. “We are not in a position to comment or provide any information in response to the thoughts and comments of Ms. Gabriel’s family,” Smith said. “My client may want to do it when the time is right and more information is available.” Gabriel was a devoted mother, her friends and family say. (Provided by Andy Stone)
Marie’s brother, David Gabriel, believes that Fenelon attacked his sister because she was with a young man who was starting to take care of her and indicated that he would provide for her financially. Mimi and Pa are what Marie and David were called as children, he says, and they were close to each other until Berno entered the movies.

The victim met a defendant while he was a teenager: family

In 2017, Marie was just 17 years old when she met the man who was already in his 30s. Her family had no idea how big he was, David said. Over the years, Fenelon began to control and manipulate her, he added. He did not drive, so Marie depended on Fenelon for everything. If she had a job, “she would have to work on her schedule,” otherwise Fenelon would have forced her to resign, David said. If Fenelon came home for dinner and Marie did not “make him a plate and bring it to him,” he would leave the house and refuse to eat, David said. “He isolated her many times.” If she seemed to be able to escape, David says Berno would insult her and manipulate her into believing she was useless and would die alone. “She was trapped,” her brother said. Police claimed that Gabriel, 24, was killed by the father of her children in an act of violence by her partner. (Provided by Andy Stone)
Andy Stone, Marie’s father, lives in the United Kingdom. Mimi was born in the Gambia. When her parents divorced, Marie and David moved with their mother to the United States and eventually to Canada. Stone lost contact with his children, but eventually reunited, with the ocean still between them, about seven years ago. “We built a relationship, the three of us. But then I started to learn that my daughter had a violent relationship, an absolutely violent relationship with an older man,” Stone said. It became impossible for him to stay in touch with his daughter when Berno checked the phone. Her phone was “broken” and her family often lost contact with her, they say. Sometimes months later, he would text them a new number.

“A continuous cycle and never changed”

Other times, according to her brother, Berno himself would like to be the conduit of the conversation and demand that every message be passed through him first. “Every three months or so, my daughter’s phone number died,” Stone said. Then, from the blue, it would reappear in their lives. His daughter was selfless, he said, and did everything for her children. “It was a continuous cycle and it never changed. Never, never.” But in October, on his birthday, Marie reached out and told her father that she needed help and wanted to escape. She asked him to help her get her British passport so she could escape, “He had to blow it up,” Stone said. Marie was looking forward to getting rid of an abusive relationship with the father of her children, according to her boyfriend Norland Tassy. (Provided by Andy Stone)
In November, he had gone to a shelter. She left at some point and in December moved into a community home on Heatherington Road with her two children. She was working on how to share custody with Berno, so they continued to interact, her brother said. “She sneaked back to her new home,” said Norland Tassi, Marie’s best friend. “It gave him another chance.” She would go so far as to feel strong enough to call the police, arrest him and then “again and again,” chase him or forgive him, her father said. “We all told her to get away from him, to let him go. But like many unfortunate victims of domestic violence, the assailant always isolates them. And they take control, don’t they? What has he done? Nobody knows why,” Stone said. “And now this is what we got.”

She wanted to give her children the world

Tassy, ​​24, who has been Marie’s girlfriend since she was just a girl, says the prospect of a complete family has always fascinated her. He saw Marie become a woman, have two beautiful children and now he can not believe that they will not be able to share more. “She wanted to give [her children] The world. “Literally people,” Tassy said. But no matter how hard she tried to escape to give her children a better life, she would re-enter this cycle of thinking that being with him was the best thing for her, Tassy said. Tassy and Marie met at a party, both entering with strong personalities. It was no surprise that they did not do well in the beginning. But then they got hungry and, as pre-teen girls do, they went into the fridge together and tied up food. They checked in every day, many Facetime calls. On Saturday morning, according to Tassy, ​​Marie was ready to chase Berno out. He was finished and wanted to leave. “He just could not accept it,” Tassy said.

Attempted cover-up, sources say

On Monday morning, rescuers received a call to 911 for an unconscious person in the house, as reported, according to sources, by Fenelon himself. Ambulances arrived at the house and saw the woman bleeding from the head and that strictness had already prevailed. They called the police at 9:42 a.m., who immediately called the homicide unit. Police believe that Fenelon attacked her with a bar at some point on Saturday morning. She then returned home, according to sources, on Monday morning to appear to have just found her. It was a parody, “a heinous game” – including trying to suspect the young man she was dating – that lasted for days, people close to her said. As soon as the family was informed that she had been killed, they knew that the only suspect was the man who had been trying to help her leave for years. “He’s a tough coward,” Stone said. “And now (supposedly) he has ruined many, many lives.” Tassy says her friend was just looking forward to being “free”. He wanted to travel – a simple wish for someone who often could not even leave home. None of the allegations against Fenelon have yet been tried in court.