The two individuals suspected of having opened fire on Leonardo Rizzuto in mid-March in Laval remain incarcerated pending further proceedings.
Steve Emmanuel Barthélémy, 34, and Kevin Rochebrun, 32, who have been detained since June 19, are charged with attempted murder, discharging a firearm while endangering life and being in a vehicle in which they knew there was a firearm.
Rochebrun is also charged with breach of order, as he was already prohibited from possessing a weapon.
Barthélémy, who has no criminal record, asked to regain his freedom pending further proceedings before Judge Gilles Garneau of the Court of Quebec, Tuesday morning, at the Laval courthouse.
A publication ban, however, prevents us from disclosing the evidence presented in court.
On Wednesday noon, Judge Garneau denied his request for release on the third ground, which is that his provisional release would undermine public confidence in the administration of justice.
For the moment, Rochebrun has not requested a release inquiry. Kevin Rochebrun has a criminal history.
He was notably sentenced to three years in prison for possession of a weapon after participating in a failed attack against the mafioso Marco Pizzi, in the east of Montreal, in August 2016.
Me Isabelle Poulin and M.e Amanda Santache, from the Office of Serious Crime and Special Affairs of the DPCP, represents the Prosecution in this case while Rochebrun and Barthélémy are respectively defended by Mr.e Reginal Victorin and M.e Martin Latour.
Reminder of events
Leonardo Rizzuto, youngest son of late Montreal mob boss Vito Rizzuto, was shot and wounded in the legs and shoulder while alone in his Mercedes on the westbound 440 highway near the highway 13.
The projectiles were fired from a moving car that slowed down alongside Rizzuto’s vehicle, and Rizzuto then made several maneuvers with his car to flee his assailants and come to a stop in a business parking lot where he was rescued.
Investigators from the National Organized Crime Squad (ENRCO), headed by the Sûreté du Québec, found the handgun that was allegedly used in the crime two weeks later, in a ditch on the Champagne hill, in the Sainte-Dorothée district in Laval.
In the hours following the attack, the media, citing police sources, explained that the attack on Leonardo Rizzuto could be linked to two attempted murders of which a former lieutenant of the Sicilian clan, Francesco Del Balso, was the victim. last November and February.
Del Balso, 53, who joined influential members of the Hells Angels, was murdered on June 5.
A conflict related to the control of illegal sports betting would be the common denominator between these events.
Our sources do not know if other violent events could still shake Montreal’s organized crime in the coming weeks or if, on the contrary, the community will enter a new period of calm until further tensions arise.
Recall that Claudia Iacono, wife of an individual linked to the mafia, Anthony Gallo, was shot dead on May 16. SPVM Major Crimes investigators have arrested the alleged murderer, a resident of Ontario.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, extension 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of La Presse.