2 men plead guilty in Leonardo Rizzuto attempted murder
Two men pleaded guilty to the 2023 attempted murder of Leonardo Rizzuto, the youngest son of the late reputed Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto.
Rizzuto's black Mercedes was sprayed with bullets while he was driving on Highway 440, near Highway 13 in Laval, on the afternoon of March 15, 2023. He survived the drive-by shooting with injuries to his leg.
Keven Rochebrun, 33, and Steve Emmanuel Barthelemy, 35, entered a guilty plea at the Joliette courthouse on Friday, CTV News confirmed.
Rochebrun, the shooter, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, being in a vehicle with knowledge of a prohibited firearm, and breach of a previous firearm condition. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison following a joint submission from the Crown and defence.
After being given credit for time already served in jail, he has just over eight-and-a-half years left to serve in prison.
Barthelemy, the driver, pleaded guilty to one count of discharging a firearm with reckless disregard for the life of a person and one count of being in a vehicle with knowledge of a prohibited firearm. The judge sentenced him to five years behind bars, but after taking into account his pre-trial detention, he has three-and-a-half years left to serve behind bars.
Both men were ordered to submit a sample of their DNA and are banned from possessing weapons for life.
After the attempted murder, the late mob boss' son managed to drive off the highway and park his car in the parking lot of the Yves Légaré Funeral Complex, near rue Principale. There, Quebec provincial police found the car with several bullet holes in the driver's side window.
The failed hit on Rizzuto was a "big" move, according to Mafia expert Antonio Nicaso. "Whoever decides to target Leonardo Rizzuto is most likely someone who wants to completely remove the Rizzuto crime family from the crime scene in Montreal," he told CTV News in a March 2023 interview.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979388.1722030190!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Peel police say.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.
Health Canada warns some naloxone kits contain false instructions
Health Canada is warning some take-home naloxone kits come with bad instructions that should be ignored in favour of the correct guidance.