Mohammed Shamji, a Toronto neurosurgeon charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, was denied bail Wednesday.

Shamji is accused of killing his wife, Elana Fric-Shamji, a family physician found dead inside a suitcase by the West Humber River in Vaughan on Dec. 1.

At the time, police said they believed Fric-Shamji had been strangled and suffered from blunt-force trauma. The pair were married for 12 years and had three children together. Days before her body was found, Fric-Shamji had filed for divorce.

Shamji’s trial is expected to begin in fall 2018.

He’s also charged with indignity to human remains.

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Speaking to media after the bail decision, Shamji’s lawyer, Liam O’Connor, said he wasn’t disappointed with the decision but was surprised, given the “level of support out there” for his client.

“I haven’t seen a story where there wasn’t a second side,” he told reporters outside court. “That story will be told, I assure you.”

Shamji, dressed in a blue button-up shirt and a dark grey suit, looked nervous, staring straight ahead throughout the proceedings. The 41-year-old had a faint five o’clock shadow, his hair neat and trimmed short.

Details of what happened in court are covered by a publication ban.

At one point, as the judge detailed the allegations against him, Shamji shook his head. He didn’t display any emotion as Justice Michael Brown read his decision.

Members of Shamji’s family sat behind the prisoner’s box, with some holding onto each other for support. At least one dabbed her eyes with a tissue as she left the courtroom.

Members of Fric-Shamji’s family didn’t appear to be present.

If he was granted bail, Shamji would not have been permitted to practise medicine “in any capacity,” said Kathryn Clarke, spokesperson at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).

Shamji’s profile with the college shows the former neurosurgeon’s registration expired on Aug. 10 due to a failure to renew his membership. His privileges to practise at the University Health Network were previously suspended in December 2016.

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Since his arrest in 2016, he’s been held at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton.

In 2005, when the pair were newlyweds living in Ottawa, Shamji was charged with uttering threats and assaulting Fric-Shamji. The charges were dropped after he signed a peace bond.

With files from Vjosa Isai