Father of children killed by drunk driver Marco Muzzo was arrested the day before he died

The Ontario father of three young children killed by drunk driver Marco Muzzo was arrested and Tasered when officers were called to his home the day before he died by suicide, Peel police confirm.

Peel police were called to the Edward Lake address in Brampton on June 19 – Father’s Day – to “investigate an altercation at the home,” spokesperson Const. Sarah Patten confirmed in an email to the Star.

During the call, « an altercation occurred between Mr. Lake and the officers, which resulted in the deployment of a Taser. » Lake was charged with one count of assault and returned to the custody of paramedics who transported him to hospital, where he was assessed and later released, Patten said.

Lake – whose children Daniel, 9, Harry, 5, and Milly, 2, were killed with their grandfather Gary Neville seven years earlier – was found dead the following morning.

« We are aware of and saddened by the tragic death of Mr. Lake, as well as the tragic circumstances that this family has faced, » Patten said.

In court and to the media, Lake had spoken at length about the pain of losing her children.

« We close our eyes and they are all we see, » he told reporters in 2015. « It’s a nightmare that will never go away. »

Muzzo was sentenced in 2016 to 10 years in prison for blowing through a stop sign and hitting the Neville-Lakes’ vehicle while drunk at a weekend bachelor party. -end in Miami. The children’s grandmother and great-grandmother were also seriously injured.

The tragedy received national media attention, and Muzzo’s sentence was at the time the longest ever given to a first-time offender in a drunk driving case.

Lake described the impact of Muzzo’s actions during a parole hearing in February 2021. « Marco Michael Muzzo’s bad decisions severely affected my life, » he said. « I miss cuddling my children in my arms, and I miss hearing their laughter and their voices in our family home, » he said, describing nightmares and intense anxiety.

« It makes me want to cry and cry…Without my kids. I feel like an empty shell.

Muzzo was granted full parole following this hearing. He remains on parole.

According to Peel Police, the call to Lake’s home was not « deemed an appropriate call » to deploy a Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team or Crisis Outreach and Support Team. Both teams are meant to help with cases involving people in mental health crisis.

Nonetheless, officers were briefed on Lake’s history and previous interactions with police, Patten said.

« We have previously visited Mr. Lake’s residence, but for privacy reasons we are unable to share these details, » she said.

According to Peel Police, officers had no further interaction with Lake after he was transported to hospital.

Late Monday night, Lake’s wife, Jennifer Neville-Lake posted a message on social networks: « The eyes he shared with Harry are forever closed Daniel’s curls will never glisten in the sun again I will never again see Milly’s shy smile creep across his lips. The father of my children, Edward Lake, has join our children so they can play together, forever Mahal Kita, Edward.

The grief of losing a child to an impaired driving accident is something families never recover from, said Carolyn Swinson, Director of Victim Support for MADD Canada Toronto Chapter.

If you are thinking about suicide or know someone who is thinking about suicide, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-833-456-4566, or Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.

TO SHARE: