TORONTO -- The Parole Board of Canada’s decision to release drunk driver Marco Muzzo on day parole has come with a handful of conditions, including a restriction that he must stay away from Brampton, King City, and Aurora, locations that all relate to his victims and their families.
The Parole Board of Canada granted Muzzo day parole on Tuesday but the full written decision was not released until today.
In it, the parole board outlines the reasons the offender was granted parole and the restrictions he now faces while living in the community.
Muzzo previously pleaded guilty to four counts of impaired driving causing death and two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm in connection with the 2015 crash that killed Daniel Neville-Lake, 9, Harrison Neville-Lake, 5, Milly Neville-Lake, 2, and their 65-year-old grandfather Gary Neville.
The children’s grandmother and great-grandmother were also seriously injured in the crash.
Muzzo was returning from Pearson International Airport following a bachelor party in Miami when he slammed into the family’s minivan in Vaughan on Sept. 27, 2015.
It was later determined that Muzzo was approximately three times over the legal limit at the time of the deadly collision.
He was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison.
As part of his release, Muzzo is expected to spend six months in a residential community facility, commonly referred to as a halfway house.
The parole board, however, noted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will consider a submission from the Correctional Service of Canada for another location that respects the board-imposed geographical restrictions.
Muzzo cannot enter the City of Brampton, the community of King City, or the Town of Aurora without the prior written permission of his parole supervisor.
“The city of Brampton is where the victims reside, and where the deceased are buried. The community of King City and the town of Aurora are the locations of memorials to the deceased that are frequently visited by the victims who deserve to be able to do so without concerns of encounters with you,” the decision read.
The victims had requested that the geographical restrictions cover all of York Region, however the board noted that many of his friends and family reside in the region and they wanted to be mindful of Muzzo’s “need to be able to reintegrate.”
This is the second parole hearing for Muzzo since he began serving his time in March of 2016.
At his first parole hearing on Nov. 7, 2018, Muzzo was denied both day parole and full parole.
The board stated in its decision at the time that Muzzo had “sabotaged” his rehabilitation by “severely underestimating” his problems with alcohol and failing to seek help while behind bars.
This time, the parole board said it is “apparent” that he has developed “greater insight into these issues."
The board said Muzzo demonstrated “more honesty and transparency” than at his previous hearing.
“You are more open to accepting your issues with alcohol, and more understanding of the nature of impairment, your triggers and risk factors,” the decision read.
According to the parole board, Muzzo has regularly participated in counselling sessions to address alcohol use and misuse and will continue sessions upon his release.
Muzzo cannot consume alcohol as part of his release and will not be permitted to enter any establishments where its primary source of income is from the sale or consumption of alcohol.
Muzzo must also have no contact with the families of the victims, who the parole board said have been “severely damaged” forever by his “selfish actions.”
The board reviewed victim impact statements by the surviving family members, including Jennifer Neville-Lake, the mother of the three children killed in the crash.
“While it is impossible to summarize their pain and suffering, they bravely conveyed their overwhelming and unabating sorrow, anger and grief, which have affected every aspect of their lives,” the decision read.
The board said Muzzo expressed his “heartfelt apologies” to the victims during this week’s hearing.
“You acknowledged that you had ruined a family and ‘stripped everything away from them.’ You stated that, if possible, you would like to engage in some future community education to prevent other families from experiencing the devastation through which you put the victims.”
