Vigils held to mourn victims of Vaughan crash

Greenspan said the date of the bail hearing – which coincides with the federal election – is purely coincidental.

Marco Michael Muzzo, 29, is facing 18 charges as a result of the crash, including driving with a blood-alcohol level of over 80 (more than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood) causing death.

Muzzo will be remanded back into custody.

In a Newmarket court this morning, defence lawyer Brian Greenspan asked Justice of the Peace Philip Solomon to adjourn the hearing until October. 19, with the Crown’s consent.

Muzzo’s legal team says this was done “quite inadvertently”, adding “we did not intentionally schedule it for election day”.

Nine-year-old Daniel, five-year-old Harrison and two-year-old Milly Neville-Lake and their grandfather Gary Neville all died after a black SUV t-boned the van they were traveling in at Kirby Road and Kipling Avenue in Vaughan at around 4 p.m. on September 27.

Muzzo’s family, including his mother and fiancee, sat in the front row of the packed courtroom flanked by private security during the short proceeding.

Muzzo did not make eye contact with them as he stood in the prisoner’s box.

Speaking to his client’s state of mind for the first time since his arrest, Greenspan said the 29-year-old is “devastated”.

A few placed flowers on the church steps or left messages and donations for the family in the care of organizers.

Greenspan said he is still waiting for disclosure from the Crown.

He described the deaths from the crash as “a tragic situation”, and said the Muzzo family “extends its condolences to the families involved”.

However, Greenspan didn’t answer any specific questions relating to the case.

Hundreds turned out Thursday night for a vigil in Vaughan to remember the victims of the tragedy by hoisting candles outside St. Padre Pio church.

“My heart aches for the family…we just want to show support for the victims”, Kathy Mitchell said.

The Muzzo family owns the drywall company Marel Contractors and is worth almost 1.8-billion dollars, according to Canadian Business magazine.

The family has expressed their sympathies to the Neville-Lake family.