Two men accused of killing woman, 20, in Markham shooting
Nilakshi Raguthas' brother was also wounded in the shooting and a family dog was killed
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Two men now face first-degree murder charges for a targeted shooting in a Markham home that killed a woman and injured a man.
On March 7, around 6:30 a.m., York Regional Police responded to the residence on Solace Rd. and located a man, 26, and his 20-year-old sister – later identified as Nilakshi Raguthas – inside suffering from gunshot wounds.
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Both victims were taken to a trauma centre where Raguthas was pronounced dead.
A family dog was also shot dead inside the home.
On March 2, a search warrant was executed in Toronto and Aekwon Murray, 28, was arrested.
He is charged with three counts of failure to comply with a judicial release order and two counts of operating a conveyance while prohibited.
On Monday, while still in custody, Murray was additionally charged with first-degree murder, attempt to commit murder, killing or injuring animals and a fourth count of failure to comply with a judicial release order.
On Tuesday, a second suspect was arrested in Toronto.
Heshmat Rasouli-Kalantarzade, 35, of Georgina, is charged with first-degree murder, attempt to commit murder, killing or injuring animals, possession for the purpose – cocaine, and two counts of failure to comply with a judicial release order.
At the time of their arrests both men were on conditions of release orders for unrelated offences.
The investigation is ongoing.
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At the time of the shooting, police said the home had been the target of shootings five times – twice in 2018 and three times last year within the span of a month.
A neighbour, who didn’t want to be identified, told the Toronto Sun on the day of the shooting that he believed it was part of an ongoing war involving the towing industry.
Anyone with information, or security video that could help investigators, is urged to call the Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7865, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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