Lawyer cleared in husband’s murder
Crown dismisses case based on weak evidence
A judge has thrown out a first-degree murder charge against a Toronto lawyer accused in the violent death of his husband.
Demitry Papasotiriou was charged with first-degree murder in November 2012 after his spouse, Allan Lanteigne, was found apparently beaten to death in their Ossington Ave. home on March 3, 2011.
Michael Ivezic, 55, who police called Papasotiriou’s “co-conspirator” and “business associate,” was also charged with first-degree murder.
Police have said Papasotiriou, now in his mid-30s, was in Switzerland studying for his doctorate in law when Lanteigne was killed.
In Papasotiriou’s case, “the evidence cannot reasonably support a finding of guilty,” Ontario Court Justice Shaun Nakatsuru ruled Thursday in a lengthy decision following a three-week preliminary hearing for both men.
However, he committed Ivezic to stand trial for first-degree murder. Ivezic, extradited from Athens last year where he was arrested, is set to return to court in October.
The reasons for Nakatsuru’s decisions are covered by a publication ban on evidence presented at the preliminary hearing which remains in effect because Ivezic has yet to stand trial.
Papasotiriou, who has been in cus- tody since his arrest, was released Thursday and is living with his mother, his lawyer James Lockyer told the Star.
In a statement through his lawyer, Papasotiriou said: “It was very tragic when Allan died and it will always be tragic. I’m just relieved to be free of the accusation that I had anything to do with it.”
Papasotiriou and Lanteigne, a 49year-old University of Toronto accounting clerk, married in 2004 but had become estranged in the years before Lanteigne’s death, according to police.
It is rare for charges to be tossed out after a preliminary hearing, Lockyer said. “It is a demonstration of the weakness in the case,” he said. “It’s convenient speculation to think he was involved and that’s not good enough for a criminal court. Nor should it be.” The recent dismissal of Papasotiriou’s murder charge will likely impact two ongoing civil cases involving Lanteigne’s $2-million life insurance payout and the proceeds from the sale of the Ossington Ave. property. Lanteigne moved into the Ossington Ave. house near Christie Pits in 2006, a property which Papasotiriou had co-purchased with two elder family members. The house was sold in May 2013 and Lanteigne’s aunt and uncle were awarded two-thirds of the $500,000 net proceeds by a judge last year. The remainder, Papasotiriou’s portion, was frozen in a court account, according to a 2013 ruling. In a separate case, Papasotiriou filed claims with two insurance companies for the proceeds of Lanteigne’s life insurance policies shortly after he was killed. He is the sole beneficiary of the policies. According to court documents, Lanteigne’s mother obtained leave to intervene in the case and argued that in the event of Papasotiriou’s conviction, her son’s estate should be passed to her as his only surviving parent. Papasotiriou argued that even if he’s found guilty, Lanteigne’s family shouldn’t get the insurance money because they aren’t named in the policy. The case was put on hold until Papasotiriou’s criminal matter was resolved. With files from Amy Dempsey and Donovan Vincent