The prison sentence of 25-year-old Jonathan Massari for the murders of four Mafia-linked men was marked by moving testimony from the victims’ families Monday morning in Montreal.
41. Massari, two weeks ago, pleaded guilty to plotting the 2016 murders of Laurentini Giordano, Rocco Sollecito and the brothers Vincenzo and Giuseppe Falduto in a fight between the Calabria and Sicilian mafia nations of Montreal, the Sûreté du Québec had indicated.
“Lorenzo was killed barbarously and helplessly. How can a person care so little for human life? In these years we have lived with them in a state of mind devastated by the throbbing pain that does not stop and never diminishes, “wrote a member of Giordani’s family.
PHOTO the press
Lorenzo Giordano is believed by the police to be a representative of the Rizzuto Mafia family in Montreal.
“He lost my faith in God spiritually,” said a member of the Falduto family.
“What happened to them? Do they suffer? Joseph and Vincenzo were cruelly taken away and did not visit the cemetery. How can we explain to our children what really happened? There is no way to hide the truth from them, because it is completely in your fingers”, Vincentio and Giuseppe Falduto, whose bodies were cremated and were not found, added another family member.
ARCHIVE PHOTOS DURING A SÛRETÉ DU QUÉBEC
Josephus and Vincentius Falduto
For Jonathan, the next thing to him is a paycheck. In fact, it destroyed us mentally and emotionally and no words can express the damage that we live with every day and for the rest of our lives” he concluded.
“Thank you for sharing with the court the most difficult and painful experiences of the following non-ordinary events. These crimes have similar final and final consequences,” answered Judge Michel Pennou of the Superior Court.
The magistrate, Massari’s sentence to 25 years, received a common suggestion of the Prosecution and the Defense.
By subtracting time from the pretrial detention, Massari now has less than 20 years left in prison to serve, and will need to serve at least half the time before he is eligible for parole.
A dangerous testimony
Three of the four victims were murdered by a former organized crime hitman, who then collaborated with the police and registered former accomplices, unconsciously, in the summer of 2019.
The evidence was largely based on the testimony of this ex-hit man who became a civilian undercover agent (ACI).
I remember that Massari’s first jury trial was started last case, but it was aborted because this witness had made several admissible statements during the trial and the defendant’s prejudice.
Faced with the dangers involved in holding a new trial and another testimony against the hitman, the prosecutors and defense lawyers began negotiations and retreated to the following agreement before Judge John St-Gelais.
“We are in a case in which the evidence was based on a unique and problematic main witness. Mr. Massari never wanted to abdicate his responsibility. In court, he could give his version of events and elements of evidence that were not corrected accurately. He had rejected a good part of the testimony of ACI, a crazy witness who had felt a strong hatred for Mr. Massari” declared Me Véronique Robert, who defends the condemned man with Philippe Larochelle.
“Mr. Massari will not be prosecuted.” Cats are not cartoons, because they are not. I say this not to diminish his responsibility, but to explain his patronage, which is consistent with his moral responsibility,” he added.
“I want to report to the Court and the families of the victims that at that time I had bad associations, which made me do what I regret. “Jonathan Massari,” he said before turning to repent.
The prosecution was represented by Me Marie-Christine Godbout, Me Isabelle Poulin, Me Karine Cordeau and Me Catharina Sheitoyan from the Serious Crime and Special Affairs Bureau.
