Marco Muzzo to plead guilty in tragic Vaughan crash, lawyer says

Marco Muzzo's lawyer says his client will plead guilty next month to some of the charges against him related to the Vaughan, Ont., crash that killed three children and their grandfather in September.

Toronto lawyer Brian Greenspan told reporters outside Newmarket provincial court on Wednesday that Muzzo, 29, will enter the plea at his next court appearance on Feb. 4. 

His sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place on Feb. 23 and 24.

• Family who lost 3 kids, granddad in Vaughan crash say no outcome will 'fix us'
• Mother of 3 kids killed in Vaughan crash puts out Christmas card in their honour
• Parents of 3 killed in Vaughan crash face 'first Christmas ever without our kids'

Muzzo was charged with four counts of impaired driving causing death, and 14 other charges related to the fatal crash, including:

• Four counts of driving over the legal limit.
• Four counts of dangerous driving causing death.
• Two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm.
• Two counts of driving above the legal limit causing bodily harm. 
• Two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

Some of the charges Muzzo faces are "redundant," Greenspan said, adding that his client will plead guilty to "those charges that the Crown presents to the court" at his next appearance.

Greenspan emphasized "there is no plea deal or plea bargain" and "as a matter of law, [Muzzo] could not plead guilty to all charges." 

The prominent lawyer said that "virtually from the outset of the tragedy, Marco Muzzo has accepted full responsibility and accountability for his conduct and the devastating consequences of that conduct. 

"Actions more than words are the true expression of the remorse that he feels and that he wishes to convey to the family for the deaths of Daniel, Harrison and Milly Neville-Lake and their grandfather, Gary Neville, and for the injuries sustained by others," he added.

Muzzo, of King Township, was driving an SUV that collided with a minivan carrying six members of the Neville-Lake family on Sept. 27.

Muzzo, looking gaunt compared to his appearance at his last hearing months ago, wore a suit and tie and stood in front of his mother and his girlfriend, who both sat in the front row..

Jennifer Neville-Lake and her husband, Edward Lake, the children's parents, were in court on Wednesday wearing lockets around their necks that contained the ashes of their children.

"I feel lost, I feel destroyed," Lake said outside court. "That's what I feel."

All three of their children died in the collision: Daniel, 9, Harrison, 5, and Milly, 2. Their grandfather, 65-year-old Gary Neville, was also killed, and his wife and another 91-year-old family member were hurt.

Muzzo's family owns the drywall company Marel Contractors and is worth nearly $1.8 billion, according to Canadian Business magazine.

Muzzo has never been convicted of a criminal offence, according to the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.