3 men charged in Bowmanville killings of pregnant woman and man, Durham police say

Three men have been arrested in connection with the deaths of a pregnant woman and a man, whose bodies were found at a home east of Toronto last year, Durham Regional Police say.

At a news conference Friday, more than a year after the Bowmanville, Ont., killings, Det. Sgt. Brad Corner provided an update on the police investigation.

Police said they were called to check on the occupants of a home on Crombie Street in Bowmanville on Feb. 4, 2023 around 2:15 p.m. Corner said police believe the victims, who have been identified as Aram Kamel, 28, and Rafad Alzubaidy, 26, were killed shortly after midnight.

Three men were charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of a married Bowmanville couple. (Durham Regional Police)

Officers found the pair lying dead on the main floor of the home, Corner said Friday, adding that police believe they were shot multiple times at close range. Alzubaidy was six months pregnant when she was killed, he said.

After "hundreds of hours" of collecting evidence and reviewing surveillance footage, Corner said investigators have determined the deaths to be "targeted killings."

Three men were arrested this week — Illia Ayo and Abdinisar Aden, both 22-year-olds from Toronto, and 21-year-old Emmanuel Ezbon of no fixed address. They have each been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Corner said investigators are still working to determine the "specific motives."

Det. Sgt. Brad Corner of Durham Regional Police speaks at a news on Friday. Police say they are continuing to investigate other people after arresting three men in connection with a double killing of a man and a pregnant woman in Bowmanville in February 2023. (Spencer Gallichan-Lowe/CBC)

Police are continuing to investigate other people, he said.

"We do believe there are other people that are responsible for arranging this murder," Corner told reporters Friday.