Two of the victims in an Ajax triple murder were stabbed to death, while a third was asphyxiated, Durham Regional police revealed on Friday after autopsies were conducted last week.

Police have charged Cory Fenn, 29, with three counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his romantic partner Krassimira Pejcinovski, 39, her son Roy Pejcinovski, 15, and daughter Venallia Pejcinovski, 13, all of Ajax.

Police would not say which victim was strangled.

“We’re not putting that information out, out of respect for the family,” said George Tudos, a constable with Durham regional police.

Pejcinovski’s oldest daughter, a 16-year-old, was not home at the time of the incident and has been reunited with her father.

In release, Durham police noted that Fenn appeared in court on March 15 with facial injuries that resulted from an altercation with arresting officers.

“The SIU was consulted, but the injuries did not meet their threshold for investigation. One Tactical Officer was also injured during the altercation,” the release states.

Police were called to Pejcinovski’s Ajax home last Wednesday around noon after a friend stopped by to check on her.

A man answered the door, wouldn’t let the friend in, and then left the area in a vehicle that was later found abandoned.

Fenn was arrested several hours later. He’s facing three counts of second-degree murder.

The suspect was known to police before the incident. He had been convicted of assaulting a police officer, for which he was given a suspended sentence and 12 months probation in 2009, court officials said.

He was also convicted of mischief and given a suspended sentence, 12 months probation and ordered to pay $205 in restitution following a conviction for mischief in 2011.

Details of exactly what led to those convictions were not immediately available.

On Thursday, the father of the slain teens expressed gratitude for the public outpouring of love and support he and his surviving daughter had received.

“There are no words to explain how we feel. Our hearts are broken,” Vas Pejcinovski said in a statement. “We have lost our beloved Krissy, Roy, and Vana and our lives will never be the same.”

Vas Pejcinovski and his surviving daughter have started a memorial fund that aims to honour the lives of his former spouse and two children, although it was not clear where the money would go.