A woman who had migrated to Canada less than two months ago was murdered, and her husband, who is suspected of the crime, has reportedly taken his own life. The local police have not released the names of the couple, but online speculation suggests that the husband was, the narrator of the Persian podcast, “The Last Witness of Crime”.
A Gruesome Discovery
On July 16, 2024, local police in the eastern Canadian city of St. John’s discovered a suitcase abandoned on Water Street in the city center. Inside, they found the human remains of a woman. Forensic examination revealed that the woman had been murdered several days prior.
Following the pattern that most femicides are committed by men close to the victim, particularly husbands, partners, and fathers, the police suspected the woman’s husband. They found him dead in his home in downtown St. John’s. The medical examiner confirmed that the man had taken his own life.
The police have not yet charged anyone and have not released the names of the deceased couple to protect their privacy. This may be because releasing names before sufficient investigation has taken place and formal charges have been made can cause unnecessary public hysteria and complicate police investigations.
However, English-language sources have reported that the murdered woman was 33 years old and of Iranian descent. She had come to Canada less than two months ago to live with her husband, who had migrated from Iran to Canada years earlier and was living in St. John’s.
“The Murderer is the Narrator of the Last Witness of Crime Podcast”
Social media networks did not hesitate to release the names and private images of the couple. A user on Twitter previously wrote, “The murderer is the narrator of the Last Witness of Crime podcast.” This tweet had been viewed 656,000 times at the time of writing this report. The same user then posted a picture of a young man wearing a rugby hat and dragging a suitcase behind him on the ground. This image was released by the local police.
The suspect, according to social media users, was the creator of the “Last Witness of Crime” podcast, which had not released a new episode for two years.
“The Last Episode of His Podcast was His Own Crime”
Some social media users speculated about the possible influence of the crimes that the suspect narrated on his own actions. One user wrote, “The last episode of his podcast was his own crime.” Another user posted a short section of an episode of the “Last Witness of Crime” podcast, which narrated the story of a man who killed his wife with “a pocket knife”, decapitated her, held her severed head in his hand, and spoke to it.
Despite the speculation, the police have not officially identified the murderer nor the woman. All social media posts and news identifying him as the murderer are based on individual speculation, and this has not been independently confirmed. The local police are seeking fresh information from relatives and acquaintances of the couple to reconstruct the events that occurred between July 10 and 16.
“This is the Impact of the Anti-Woman Culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran”
Some social media users have linked the murder to the culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran. One user, Amirreza, whose tweet had been viewed one million times at the time of writing this report, wrote, “This is the impact of the anti-woman culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Another user, Aileen, wrote about the horrific event, “This is the result of the culture of violence against women in Iran.”
However, others have cautioned against premature judgment. Zahra Tabrizi, a psychologist on Twitter, posted a thread to say that if the suspect is the murderer, it does not make all Iranian-Canadians murderers. She used the analogy of tomatoes and cheese to make her point.
The tragic event has sparked a wide range of reactions and discussions on social media, reflecting the complexities of gender violence, cultural influences, and the impact of public narratives on individual actions. The educational background of the suspected murderer has been highlighted in a tweet by Kamran Malekpour, a reporter. His LinkedIn page, which is still publicly accessible, confirms his educational history. A user named Abtin, whose tweet has been viewed 833,000 times, also commented on the situation.
The case has sparked various interpretations on social media. Some users have portrayed the suspect as a deeply in love and devoted husband who loved his wife passionately. Others have focused on the gruesome details of the murder, emphasizing the details about the human remains.
Certain Iranian media outlets that reported the murder-suicide have been accused of sensationalizing the incident for profit. Some users have used the case to reinforce government narratives, suggesting that it is safer to stay in Iran under the government’s protection than to migrate.
Younes Seifi, a religious seminary teacher, used the opportunity to attack the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. The case has sparked a wide range of reactions and discussions on social media, reflecting the complexities of gender violence, cultural influences, and the impact of public narratives on individual actions.
This is a summary of original Radio Zamaneh content crafted with the help of AI, edited by a Radio Zamaneh editor. To read the original article, click here.
