The man accused in a deadly collision in Vaughan that claimed the lives of four members of the same family, including three small children, has been remanded into custody until an Oct. 19 bail hearing.
Speaking to reporters outside the Newmarket courtroom, high-profile defence lawyer Brian Greenspan said he needs more time to review the facts of the case prior to a bail hearing.
“We require that period of time to review the material that we will receive and to make an intelligent assessment about where we’ll go from here,” Greenspan said.
Nine-year-old Daniel, five-year-old Harrison and two-year-old Milly Neville-Lake and their 65-year-old grandfather Gary Neville all died after a black SUV t-boned the van they were travelling in at Kirby Road and Kipling Avenue in Vaughan at around 4 p.m. on Sept. 27. Two women, the children’s grandmother and great-grandmother, were taken to hospital after the crash and are recovering from their injuries.
Sources previously told CP24 that the man driving the SUV told police at the scene that he was coming from a friend’s house when the crash occurred.
Marco Muzzo, 29, of King Township is facing 18 charges, including four counts of impaired driving causing death.
Speaking to his client’s state of mind for the first time since his arrest, Greenspan said the 29-year-old is “devastated.”
“Marco is first of all devastated by the horrific loss of life and has expressed to me on numerous occasions his condolences and sympathy to the family,” Greenspan said. “This is obviously a tragic situation and again the Muzzo family extends its sympathies and condolences to the families involved.”
Muzzo’s mother and fiancée appeared at the courthouse at around 7:30 a.m., flanked by bodyguards due to reported death threats, and were present for the brief hearing.
A gaggle of reporters and cameramen waited outside the courthouse, along with at least one woman who held a sign demanding justice for the Neville-Lake family.
Speaking with reporters, Greenspan also took the media to task for reporting information from various police sources.
“Until this morning we hadn’t received any police disclosure, any disclosure of any sort where we can make a proper and intelligent evaluation of the circumstances surrounding this tragedy,” Greenspan said.
He said he would not answer any questions about the facts of the case, except in court.
“I want to make it clear that the flow of information will come from inside that courtroom,” he said.
He said it is too early to say how Muzzo will plead in the case.
@Josh_F is on Twitter. Remember for instant breaking news follow @cp24 on Twitter.
