Marie-Josée Viau was sentenced Friday morning to life in prison, without the possibility of parole for 12 years, for the murders of the brothers Vincenzo and Giuseppe Falduto, committed in the garage of her property in Saint-Jude, near Saint- Hyacinthe, in the summer of 2016.
Posted at 10:36 a.m.
It had already been ruled that the 47-year-old woman, convicted of conspiracy and the second-degree murders of the two brothers by a jury last November, should serve a life sentence, but Superior Court Judge Eric Downs still had to determine the length of the parole eligibility period.
The prosecution asked that the woman serve between 15 and 17 years in prison before being eligible for parole while the defense claimed 10 years, the duration suggested by the jury on the day of the verdict.
Marie-Josée Viau, who recently contracted COVID-19 and has not quite completed her period of isolation, followed the hearing virtually from the prison where she is being held, wearing a mask and a white medical suit.
She nodded up and down when she heard Judge Downs utter the words “12 years”.
Extreme neglect of the lives of others
Among the mitigating factors, the judge considered that Marie-Josée Viau led a tidy and active life before meeting an individual linked to traditional Italian organized crime (COTI) who led her “on a dangerous road”.
He also said the chances of rehabilitation were good and the risk of reoffending was low.
As an aggravating factor, the magistrate pointed out that the convicted person had “shown extreme negligence for the lives of others”, by agreeing to store a veritable arsenal in her home, and “extreme willful blindness”.
He added that she expressed her will “to rise in the ranks of the traditional Italian organized crime” that she knew the plan, that she facilitated the commission of murders and that she then took actions to rid of the bodies by burning them, thus plunging the relatives of the victims into anguish and disarray”.
“We are satisfied. The judge cleared the 10-year minimum before being eligible for parole and that sends a chilling message. He also highlighted the fact that members of the Falduto family were unable to offer burials to the victims and spoke of their plight, and we hope this will help them continue their mourning,” he told The Press the prosecutor M.and Isabelle Poulin, who represented the prosecution during the proceedings, along with her colleagues Mand Karine Cordeau and M.and Marie-Christine Godbout.
Trapped by a killer turned mole
The Falduto brothers were killed on June 30, 2016 on the property of Marie-Josée Viau and her spouse Guy Dion by a mafia hitman, accompanied by another man whose identity we must conceal. The murderer and his companion would have acted on behalf of the late clan leader of the Montreal mafia Salvatore Scoppa.
Three years later, the hitman collaborated with the Sûreté du Québec. He recorded Marie-Josée Viau and Guy Dion without their knowledge and the couple was arrested in October 2019.
Viau and Dion were originally charged with conspiracy and the first degree murders of the Falduto brothers. According to the lawsuit’s theory, the couple dismembered the bodies of the victims and burned them for long hours, in the open air, in addition to removing all traces of the crime.
However, after a trial lasting several months, Marie-Josée Viau was found guilty of conspiracy and second degree murder, while Guy Dion was found not guilty.
Marie-Josée Viau, who was on bail during her trial, has been detained since the verdict was delivered.
During the trial, Marie-Jose Viau and Guy Dion testified and refuted all the claims of the prosecution.
However, in the hours following their arrest, Marie-Josée Viau and Guy Dion had made filmed confessions to the investigators who were however declared inadmissible by Judge Downs, because, among other things, the magistrate noted violations of the Charter , of the common law and the right to a lawyer.
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