Muzzo pleads guilty to six charges in fatal Vaughan crash, released on bail
Posted February 4, 2016 10:57 am.
Last Updated February 4, 2016 5:06 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Marco Muzzo, 29, has pleaded guilty to four counts of impaired driving causing death, two counts impaired driving causing bodily harm in court on Thursday.
Muzzo nodded and murmured in agreement when asked if he understood the consequences of his plea.
Muzzo faced a dozen counts of impaired driving and six more charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle related to the Sept. 27 crash, but his high-profile lawyer, Brian Greenspan, had said some of the charges were redundant.
Nine-year-old Daniel Neville-Lake, his five-year-old brother Harrison, their two-year-old sister Milly, and their 65-year-old grandfather Gary Neville died after the van they were in was T-boned by Muzzo’s SUV.
The children’s grandmother and great-grandmother were seriously injured in the crash.
On the day that the Neville-Lakes were killed, Muzzo landed in Toronto by a private jet from Miami.
“He was unsteady on his feet. He urinated himself. He had the smell of alcohol,” said an officer at the scene of crash about Muzzo.
Muzzo’s first blood alcohol reading was taken at 6:13 p.m. where he blew 0.19, his second reading was taken at 6:24 p.m. and he blew 0.204. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08.
The children’s parents, who’ve attended all of Muzzo’s court hearings to date, said they were “cautiously optimistic” about his intentions to plead guilty because it would allow them to move forward.
The Muzzo family, one of Canada’s wealthiest, released a statement after their son’s arrest saying they were “greatly saddened” by the tragedy, and expressed their “deepest sympathy” to the Neville-Lake family.
Muzzo has requested to be released ahead of his sentencing later this month on a $1 million bail. The terms of the release are that he cannot drive, cannot consume alcohol, must live with his mother, will report to York Regional Police on Sunday and his curfew is between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The Crown approved the bail and according to the judge, Muzzo needs to attend appointments for a ‘medical issue’ ahead of his sentencing on Feb. 23.
PHOTOS PRESENTED IN COURT:
