Woman killed in Summerside remembered as doting mom and friend

Woman killed in Summerside remembered as doting mom and friend

Mandeep Singh has been charged in the death of Raman Devi

Raman Devi was five months away from graduating from a registered massage therapy program, a course of studies she had thrown her whole heart into while raising her two young children.

“She was excited to be done [school] and to start her career,” said Devi's friend and neighbour, Sandra Sanchez.

“She was incredible. Kind, humble, caring, and always willing to help others if you have a problem. She was always there for you.”

Devi, who was in her 30s, died Tuesday evening after an incident at her home on Chelton Road in southeast London.

Her partner, Mandeep Singh, 41, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Woman dead, man charged with murder in London femicide investigation

London police say the victim and accused were in an intimate relationship. Police have also said additional family members were at the home when the incident occurred, but none was injured.

Sanchez said Devi and Singh had two children, a four-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl. Devi's mother was also staying with the family, having travelled from India to help care for the children.

“Raman was an amazing mother who gave everything for her children and her mom,” Sanchez said. “She loved her family deeply. Everything she did, it was for her family.”

Singh appeared in court Friday from the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre wearing an orange jumpsuit and requested the assistance of a Punjabi interpreter. His case was adjourned until Sept. 23.

Sanchez and Devi met about two years ago when they both began the massage therapy program at a private career college. They soon discovered they lived close to one another.

“It’s very heartbreaking and deeply unfair that something like this could happen to such a wonderful person,” Sanchez said.

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Devi's son had started school for the first time the week before her death, Sanchez said. The two friends often spent time together in their neighbourhood, with Devi's children riding their bikes while Sanchez walked her dogs.

“We had a lot of laughs,” Sanchez said.

“She had a soft touch as a mom. Just last week, she talked to me about her youngest starting school, and she was emotional. I gave her a hug and told her it would be okay, and she gave me a smile.”

Sanchez has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help support Devi's mother and children.

Police are investigating what they have described as a femicide and say they are examining the “historical context of the relationship.”

The Criminal Code was changed earlier this year to make certain killings of women first-degree murder, including an intimate-partner killing committed in the context of a pattern of coercive or controlling conduct. Most of those changes took effect July 18.

Singh has been charged with second-degree murder. The charge has not been upgraded to first-degree murder.

People who work with survivors of intimate-partner violence say violence can occur in any neighbourhood and that people may not always recognize what is happening behind closed doors.

“People don't want to believe that intimate partner violence can happen right next door to them, but it's unfortunately a reality that is absolutely very common,” said Jessie Rodger, executive director of Anova, an organization that supports survivors of gender-based violence in London.

“We know there are lots of people who need somewhere to go that aren't feeling safe enough to come forward. There's still a lot of shame and worry about coming forward, and a lot of risk in coming forward.”

Rodger said friends and neighbours can let people know they are safe to talk to by checking in with them or gently raising concerns about interactions that don't feel right.

St. Joseph's Hospital Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Program