Toronto police say a woman found dead in her Leaside home on New Year's Day was murdered, and a man believed to be her boyfriend has been charged with second-degree murder.
Few details have been officially released but police confirm that the woman was found inside a house on Airdrie Road near Bayview Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East on Sunday.
It is unclear who found the body or who called police, but officers continue to investigate the circumstances behind the death.
Neighbours say the house is occupied by Lisa Lebitka, her boyfriend and Lebitka's three children from a previous relationship.
Police have not confirmed the identity of the victim, but an uncle to Lebitka's children spoke with media on Tuesday and said they were staying with their father during this "time of tragedy."
"This is an extremely tragic time for the families involved," Mark Thompson told reporters, requesting privacy for Lebitka's three children.
"The children are with their father, who is in no way implicated."
Sources told CP24 that the man who has been charged in the death was Lebitka's boyfriend, who neighbours described as a loving and dedicated partner.
Paul Hindle appeared in a Toronto court on Tuesday and has been charged with second-degree murder.
Three murders in three days
The woman's death marks the third homicide in a violent start to 2012.
Jamahl Franklin, 20, was pronounced dead after being shot on a Scarborough street just hours after ringing in the new year, becoming the city's first murder victim of the year.
Michael Pimentel, 24, also died on Sunday after being stabbed several times while walking between parties in the downtown Liberty Village.
