Marco Muzzo, Man Charged In Fatal Vaughan Crash, Had Other Driving Offences

A man charged in Sunday's deadly car crash north of Toronto has a history of driving offences.

Three children and their grandfather were travelling in a van in Vaughan, Ont. when their vehicle was T-boned by another, emergency officials said.

Gary Neville, 65, died on scene. The children identified as Daniel, Harrison, and Milly Neville-Lake died after being rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries on Sunday afternoon.

Marco Muzzo, 29, faces a dozen impaired-driving charges and six charges related to the dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

Though this is the first time Muzzo has faced criminal offences, the Ministry of the Attorney General says he has seven non-criminal offences, all of which occurred throughout the Toronto area.

According to the Toronto Star, Muzzo paid a fine in February 2012 for being intoxicated in a public place in Richmond Hill and paid another ticket for a speeding offence in August 2013 in Newmarket.

He also paid a ticket after he was charged with holding a cellphone while driving in Caledon, Ont.

He appeared in a Newmarket court room Monday, and is due back in court Friday for a bail hearing. Crown attorney Brian McCallion said he will be arguing against Muzzo's release.

Muzzo comes from a wealthy and influential Toronto-area family, according to CTV News. His family owns Vaughan-based Marel Contractors, which operates in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and southwestern Ontario. The family also owns Pemberton Group, a real estate developer that builds condominiums and commercial properties across the Greater Toronto Area.

The two companies were founded in the 1950s and 1960s by Muzzo's late grandfather, also named Marco Muzzo. He was ranked among the wealthiest men in Canada by the time of his death in 2005, according to the Star.

The Muzzo estate is worth nearly $1.8 billion, according to Canadian Business' 2015 ranking of Canada's richest people.

The Muzzo family issued a statement Tuesday extending their condolences to the families of the crash victims, according to CBC News.

"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 cooperation of the media in respecting the privacy of our family during this very difficult time," it read.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.ca/
Author: Jessica Chin