Ex-boyfriend acquitted in 2015 murder
A Quebec judge has acquitted an Ottawa man of first-degree murder for allegedly arranging the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend in a Gatineau hotel room.
Christine MacNeil, 25, was slain on Oct. 19, 2015, while in a fourthfloor room at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel on Laurier Street in the Hull sector.
In November 2018, Blake Dooley, then 56, was convicted of firstdegree murder in connection with the death, but Crown prosecutors had always maintained that Emilio Spezzano, now 61, had helped orchestrate the shooting of his one-time girlfriend.
The two men were initially jointly tried, but a mistrial was declared for Spezzano late in the proceedings in 2018 and a retrial began in August before Justice Francis Dadour, ending Sept. 16.
In the ruling released Friday, Dadour found there was reasonable doubt that Spezzano had planned the killing of the one-time sex worker, who had complained to police that she was a victim of human trafficking.
“Mr. Spezzano's motive to have Ms. MacNeil killed was fairly weak,” the judge wrote.
“In a nutshell, I am not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the only rational inference that can be drawn from the entirety of the evidence in this case is the guilt of Mr. Spezzano,” he continued. “The theory that Mr. Dooley acted alone was plausible and reasonable, not just possible.”
Evidence presented during Dooley's trial showed that he contacted MacNeil, using a cellphone registered under a false name because they knew each other, and asked to meet her in a guest room at the hotel. He was dropped off by a man driving a black or silver car, and the trial heard various theories about who the car belonged to; Dooley did not drive.
He shot her as soon as he arrived in room 427.
The Crown's theory was that MacNeil and Spezzano had been in a relationship for about four years and that he reacted badly when she broke it off. It also presented evidence that Dooley and Spezzano had been together on the afternoon of the shooting and may have collaborated on arranging an 8 p.m. meeting in the hotel.
The judge had to sift through hundreds of text messages gathered from a circle of Spezzano and MacNeil associates, some of whom had lengthy criminal records and whose credibility was difficult to establish.
“At the end of these lengthy reasons, I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of the proof of Mr. Spezzano's conduct requirement or (actions) as a secondary participant. However, I am left with a reasonable doubt regarding Mr. Spezzano's fault requirement or mens rea as a secondary participant in Ms. MacNeil's planned and deliberate murder.
“I reach this conclusion based on all of the circumstantial evidence adduced in this case.”
MacNeil's family has always believed more than one person was responsible for her death. Her father, John, told the Citizen in 2017 that the charge laid against Spezzano was “the best news I've had in a year and a half.”
Spezzano has been in custody for about three years.
Defence lawyer Leo Russomanno pointed out his client's second trial date — scheduled more than four years after the offence — was delayed from March because of COVID-19 restrictions, adding to his time behind bars.
“Emilio is relieved that this long and difficult saga is over. He is grateful to everyone involved for their participation and professionalism under even more difficult circumstances than usual, and for those who supported him throughout.”