Family shares happy memories of mother killed while shopping

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Shahnaz Pestonji was their “angel” and “rock” — a loving and caring mom, grandmother, wife, and friend to everyone, taken away during a brutal, “unprovoked” stabbing Thursday morning.

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Her husband of 47 years, Soli Pestonji, sat with his two daughters Dina and Yasmin — pregnant with her second child on the way — in the family’s home surrounded by loving pictures of family and their beloved Shahnaz.

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The trio spoke glowingly about their mother and wife, about how well she cooked, travel trips, Christmas time, new baby time, and just recently celebrated Yasmin’s daughter Shayna’s second birthday.

“She loved being a grandma,” said Yasmin, holding her big baby bump as she sat on the couch. “And she was just loving this stage of life.”

Their mom had been a nurse and was retired 15 years from Sunnybrook Hospital where she worked in geriatrics and with the veterans at K-Wing.

Both the girls laughed, like their mom, saying she was always “busy” during the week even though her mom didn’t like using that word.

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“She always said, ‘I’m busy, there is so much that I am doing,’” said Yasmin. “She has her yoga group that they would do twice, three times a week.

“The ladies lunch group. She started lifting weights and working out. They were two pounds, but they were still weights.”

Soli then interrupted his daughters and said his wife didn’t like that word “busy” and that she never used it. He said she was never “busy” to help anyone or be there for them.

“And she made time for everything and especially the family,” said Yasmin. “When me and Dina would come over for dinner she would drop everything.”

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Looking around the family den, just off the kitchen solarium, there were works of art from trips to Egypt, Turkey, parts of Europe and even a matching set of tiny Koala bears sitting atop two end table lamps on opposite sides of the couch the girls sat upon.

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Those trips evaporated with the arrival of Yasmin’s baby — Shayna — took over the entire family’s attention, adding more life and brightness to them all.

Yasmin is now expecting a baby boy in just over a month and she was so excited for everybody — especially her mom — who doted endlessly on her granddaughter.

Sadly for her husband Soli, he knew something was wrong on Thursday when his wife’s routine somehow changed after she headed out around 9 a.m. to pick up groceries at nearby plazas, maybe go over to Shoppers Drug Mart at Fairview Mall, and then be home by noon.

But that never happened.

His wife had forgotten to take her mobile phone with her on errands and Soli said he didn’t want to go out to look for her in case she came home.

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Then a horrible knock came at the door around 2 p.m. with the police standing there and telling him what had transpired that morning.

His wife was attacked in the Parkway Forest Plaza — in which attending officers deemed at the time as an “unprovoked” attack.

She was brutally attacked in the parking lot as she loaded groceries into her car and later died in hospital, police said.

Late Friday afternoon, Toronto Police Homicide Det. Matthew Pinfold released information and images of 14-year-old Kymani Wint of Toronto, facing a second-degree murder charge in connection with the attack.

Police were granted a judicial release to put out the teens image and name as he falls under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

“We now believe that this was a robbery that escalated into a deadly attack,” said Pinfold outside of 33 Division in North York. “He remains at large.”

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“We believe that that person intended to rob Mrs. Pestonji.”

Pinfold cautioned the public not to approach him, but if spotted or knowing his whereabouts to immediately contact police.

The detective said police have sifted through lots of surveillance video from the surrounding crime scene area and onto the TTC where the suspect fled from the scene at Don Mills Rd.

Images provided of the youth have him seen at the TTC’s Kennedy Station where he was caught on camera following the stabbing.

“We believe Kymani is using the TTC to travel throughout the city. He was last seen (Thursday) at Kennedy Station at noon,” said Pinfold. “And he may still be on the transit system.”

At that time he was wearing a black hoodie with the words “New York – 555” printed on the front in bold white lettering and a face covering.

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He is described as 5-foot-7, approximately 135 pounds with a skinny build and was wearing black pants and a black hooded sweatshirt.

For the family, they now will never experience the best hugs her mother gave, her home cooking, her laugh, her smile, her love or the way her granddaughter slept on her chest on the family couch.

The search is now on for her 14-year-old alleged killer and police want him in custody before he possibly strikes again.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

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