A parole hearing is scheduled today for a drunk driver who killed three young children and their grandfather in crash north of Toronto three years ago.
Marco Muzzo was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to four counts of impaired driving causing death and two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm.
The September 2015 crash claimed the lives of nine-year-old Daniel Neville-Lake, his five-year-old brother Harrison, their two-year-old sister Milly and the children’s 65-year-old grandfather, Gary Neville.
The children’s grandmother and great-grandmother were also seriously injured in the collision in Vaughan, Ont.
Muzzo will be eligible for day parole on Friday, full parole next May and statutory release on June 18, 2022. He also faces a 12-year driving ban, which will take effect on his release from custody.
The crash set off a wave of public grief that led to several candlelight vigils to honour the victims. It also sparked debate on the legal penalties for drunk driving, with some advocacy groups calling for tougher sentences.
Court heard Muzzo had returned from his bachelor party in Florida on a private plane and picked up his car at Pearson International Airport prior to the crash.
He was speeding and drove through a stop sign, T-boning the minivan carrying the Neville-Lake family, court heard.
A police officer called to the scene said Muzzo had glossy eyes, smelled of alcohol and had urinated on himself, according to an agreed statement of fact read in court.
Court heard two breathalyzer tests showed Muzzo had 192 and 204 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.
It was only after he arrived at the police station that Muzzo learned the four had died, court heard.
At his sentencing, the judge presiding over the case said Muzzo’s lengthy record of driving infractions before the deadly incident suggested he had an “irresponsible attitude towards the privilege of driving.”
And while Muzzo showed genuine remorse for his actions, he must be held accountable for the irreversible suffering he’s caused, the judge said.
When he took the stand, Muzzo told the court he would forever be haunted by the grief and pain he has caused the Neville-Lake family.
The children’s mother, Jennifer Neville-Lake, told the court Muzzo’s actions shattered her world.
The Muzzo family, one of Canada’s wealthiest, owns the drywall company Marel Contractors.
The Canadian Press
