Crown closes its evidence in trial of man accused in Montreal stabbing

Article content

Nicola Spagnolo, charged with stabbing a young man outside a bar in Old Montreal two summers ago, might present a defense in his trial at the Montreal courthouse.

Article content

Prosecutor Matthew Ferguson announced Friday morning that the Crown’s evidence was closed in the case in which Spagnolo, 47, who has alleged ties to the Montreal Mafia, is charged with aggravated assault. The trial began on Tuesday.

The case will return to court in May for a formality hearing during which lawyer Danièle Roy is expected to announce if she will present a defense on behalf of her client.

Quebec Court Judge Yves Paradis set aside three court dates in August in case they are required to hear more evidence to complete the trial.

The accused is alleged to have stabbed a man, whose name cannot be published, during an argument outside the Boho cocktail bar on Aug. 2, 2020.

Spagnolo’s alleged ties to the Montreal underworld have nothing to do with the aggravated assault charge he is on trial for. The victim testified earlier this week that he did not know Spagnolo before they began arguing after he exited the Boho bar on St-François Xavier St. The victim said he was inebriated when he began arguing with the accused.

Article content

As part of an admission filed into the court record on Friday, Spagnolo admitted he was at the Clandestino bar, which is also on St-François Xavier St., the night the victim was stabbed. Three photos of Spagnolo, taken from security camera footage recorded inside Clandestino, were part of the admission presented to Paradis.

The last witness called to testify for the prosecution was Det.-Sgt. Carlos Bran-Lopez, an investigator with the Montreal police’s organized crime division. Two days after the stabbing, Bran-Lopez had the victim pick a photo of Spagnolo out of a lineup among mug shots of seven other men.

Spagnolo is the son of Vincenzo Spagnolo, who was a close friend to Mafia leader Vito Rizzuto. During the recent murder trial of Dominico Scarfo, the key witness, a hit man who became an informant, testified that leaders of a Calabrian clan in the Montreal Mafia intended to have Nicola Spagnolo killed in 2016, but killed his father by accident.

Article content

According to evidence gathered during Project Magot-Mastiff, an investigation into how the Hells Angels and the Mafia were working together almost a decade ago to control drug trafficking in Montreal, Spagnolo was often observed with Mafia leaders while they were under surveillance at a café in Wash.

The investigation also revealed Spagnolo was used as a reference when alleged Montreal Mafia leader Stefano Sollecito applied for a passport.

[email protected]