Little Italy murder suspect appears in court as victim laid to rest

The suspect in a fatal shooting at the Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe in Little Italy appeared in a Toronto courtroom to face a first-degree murder charge on the same day his alleged victim was laid to rest.

Dean Wiwchar, 26, was charged in the death of John Raposo, 35, on Thursday evening. He made a brief court appearance at Old City Hall around noon, and was remanded in custody until his next court date of July 27. There is a publication ban on the case.

“He has no idea why he’s been charged with this,” Wiwchar’s lawyer Christopher Avery said outside Old City Hall court Friday afternoon.

“He committed a crime [robbery] in the past, he’s paid for it and served his time. He’s indicated he’s not guilty of this crime…His story will be told in court, in front of a jury.”

Avery said his client plans to plead not guilty at his next court appearance, and that Wiwchar is from Stouffville, not British Columbia as police had said. Wiwchar was serving time in a B.C. jail for a crime that occurred in York Region “five or six” years ago, Avery said.

Wiwchar has family in the GTA, Avery said. His grandmother is a resident at an Aurora retirement home and his mother works in the same home.

“Mr. Wiwchar is not able to apply for a bail hearing until after he’s received disclosure. That will take at least four to six weeks, but we’re optimist the Toronto police service will be able to get us our materials as quickly as possible,” Avery said.

Avery said his client has no idea why he was charged and that Wiwchar didn’t match the police description of the suspect in the case who was said to be six feet tall and blond. Wiwchar is six-feet-three-inches to six-feet-four-inches tall and has dark hair and a dark beard, he said.

Meanwhile, Raposo’s funeral was held Friday morning at St. Mary’s Church on Adelaide Street near Bathurst Street. He leaves behind a young son and a pregnant girlfriend.

Raposo was killed in broad daylight on Monday at the café on College Street near Montrose Avenue while patrons were watching the soccer match between Italy and Ireland during the European championships.

Another man was grazed by a bullet in the incident, but police said Raposo was the only intended target. Authorities wouldn’t say if the accused would face additional charges.

“There are a number of policing agencies that have been assisting with this investigation,” Det.-Sgt. Terry Browne said Friday.

“It is still ongoing.”

Witnesses said the shooter was dressed as a construction worker, with a white filter mask over his face and a hard hat.

Wiwchar, who Toronto police said wasn’t known to them, was arrested Thursday around 5:30 p.m. after officers swarmed a taxi cab near Parliament and Gerrard streets.

He was visiting his grandmother at a retirement home in Aurora shortly before police arrested him near downtown, Avery said.

Police said he had several different identifications on him at the time and has connections to Toronto.

The Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe reopened Friday, and patrons like Jim Pulfer came to support the local fixture.

“We were determined to make sure that she [owner] stayed open and viable. And we’ve brought this three-month-old baby as a testament to that — that this evil will not persist.”