1st-degree murder, arson charges laid in fatal 2024 fire
Ottokie Kelly died from her injuries weeks after rented Rossland Avenue home firebombed
Ottawa police have charged a 30-year-old Ottawa man with first-degree murder and four arson-related crimes in the death of a woman who was seriously injured when her rented bungalow was firebombed in October 2024.
The arson on Rossland Avenue near the intersection of Meadowlands Drive and Merivale Road happened around 3:45 a.m. on Oct. 8, 2024. Firefighters arrived to find two people on the front lawn who had escaped the blaze.
Paramedics treated one man and one woman for burns and smoke inhalation, saying the woman was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition.
Ottokie Kelly, 51, died weeks later in the burn unit of a Toronto hospital. Ottawa police said she grew up in Iqaluit.
On Friday, Ottawa police announced five charges against Ahmed Hozayen: first-degree murder, arson with disregard for human life, arson causing bodily harm, arson causing property damage and possessing incendiary material for arson.
CBC News has previously reported that police were investigating the arson for connections to a notorious international crime family.
With files from Shaamini Yogaretnam