Marco Muzzo's mom extends condolences to family of Vaughan crash victims
29-year-old faces 18 charges, including 4 counts of impaired driving causing death
The family of Marco Muzzo, the man facing impaired driving and other charges in connection with Sunday's crash in Vaughan, Ont., that left four family members dead, issued a statement today that extends condolences to the families of the victims.
The statement released by Muzzo's mother Dawn Muzzo reads: "We are all greatly saddened by yesterday's tragedy and express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Neville, Lake and Frias families. We would ask for the co-operation of the media in respecting the privacy of our family during this very difficult time."
Marco Muzzo, 29, of King Township, faces 18 charges, including four counts of impaired driving causing death.
The crash happened when an SUV driven by Muzzo collided with a minivan carrying six members of the Neville-Lake family.
All three children in the Neville-Lake family died: Daniel, 9, Harrison (Harry) 5, and Milly, 2. Their grandfather, Gary Neville, 65, was also killed. The children's grandmother and great-grandmother are recovering in hospital.
Muzzo appeared Monday in a Newmarket, Ont., court. He is from one of Canada's wealthiest families, worth $1.7 billion, according to an estimate early this year from Canadian Business. The family owns Marel Contractors, based in Vaughan, Ont.
Muzzo's next court date is Friday.
His late grandfather, also named Marco, amassed wealth as a developer and owner of a large contracting company before his death in 2005.
The grandfather also headed the Pemberton Group, a condominium developer with projects throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
Driving infractions
The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General says the younger Marco Muzzo has seven driving offences under the Highway Traffic Act, including a conviction for driving while using a handheld device. They are not criminal offences.
The offences occurred in the Toronto area, from Richmond Hill to Newmarket to Orillia and Mississauga, the ministry said.
His lawyer, Rudi Covre, said he was unaware of the driving offences, but does not believe they will affect the criminal case.
"There may be a minimal role that they play, but I don't think there will be any impact," he said. "A lot of kids, a lot of people have traffic tickets."
Clarifications
- An earlier version of this story stated that Marco Muzzo was the director of Marel Contracting. In fact, a man named Marco Muzzo is listed as director on the company website. The company would not comment when contacted by CBC News.Sep 29, 2015 4:57 PM ET
With files from The Canadian Press