‘I CLIMBED TO THE TOP TO . . . FEEL MORE ALIVE’
Marisa Lazo, whose dramatic rescue from a crane last April captured global attention, pleads guilty to two counts of mischief — and explains why she did it
Marisa Lazo, who was dramatically rescued from a downtown Toronto crane last year, received an absolute discharge late last month after pleading guilty to two counts of mischief.
While Lazo’s crane climb captured international attention, her guilty plea escaped the media glare after her lawyer vacated a scheduled Jan. 10 court date in the Ontario Court of Justice. The Crown withdrew four counts of mischief.
Lazo, 23, read a lengthy and tearful apol- ogy in court that included some insight into why she scaled a 25-to-30-storey condo construction crane at 50 Wellesley St. E. at 3:10 a.m. on April 26, 2017, according to an audio recording of the court proceeding.
“Climbing that crane was a terrible idea, it was a terrible mistake. I’m ashamed and embarrassed and did not see all the harm that I caused,” Lazo told court Dec. 29.
The George Brown architecture studies student said she knew what she was doing was “wrong and dangerous.”
But prior to the incident, Lazo said she was struggling with her mental health, abusing alcohol and avoiding getting the help she needed.
After a night of drinking, and feeling alone and isolated, Lazo said she was walking by the construction site, near Church Street, when she “impulsively decided” to hop a fence and scale the crane.
“I climbed to the top of the tower to see the view and take pictures. I thought it would make me feel more alive and would be exciting,” she told the court.
“Climbing that crane was a terrible idea, it was a terrible mistake,” MARISA LAZO READING AN APOLOGY IN COURT
An agreed statement of facts said selfie photos taken during the escapade were found on Lazo’s phone.
Lazo said she tried to climb down, but made a “misstep,” grabbed a cable and slid down “uncontrollably” until she landed on a small platform about halfway to the bottom.
Although she had no suicidal thoughts, Lazo said she considered jumping when she realized she was “stuck,” but decided “I can’t do that to myself or my family.”
She thanked firefighters and police officers who came to her rescue “after I made reckless, selfish and costly decisions.” Lazo told court she will be haunted for the rest of her life by what happened that day.
The prosecution asked for a suspended sentence and 12 months’ probation. Lazo has no criminal record. “But what she did was extremely serious . . . this is contrary to the public interest, particularly given the strong need for general deterrence for other like-minded individuals,” Crown attorney Christine Jenkins told court.
Jenkins added the “daredevil act” caused extreme disruption to the downtown core, tying up TTC services and wasting public resources.
Defence lawyer Adam Weisberg asked that Lazo receive a conditional discharge.
Although Lazo did something “incredibly stupid,” she has sought psychiatric help and has been doing volunteer work “trying to give back to the community as best as she can.”
He submitted a psychiatric report that concluded Lazo has had difficulty managing trauma from her youth stemming from abuse. She also has two younger siblings with severe disabilities and will eventually inherit full responsibility for their care, Weisberg told court.
As well, her infamous exploits will live on thanks to the internet, Weisberg told the judge. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Justice Richard Blouin said an absolute discharge — which means she will not have a criminal record — is the only sentence that makes “any sense” and is “overwhelmingly in the public interest.”
A criminal record would saddle Lazo with “an undue and unnecessary” barrier to future employment and education, he stated.
Blouin said he factored into his decision the night she spent in custody, “a traumatic experience,” the fact she has performed 76 hours of community service and sought help from mental-health professionals.
He also took into account numerous letters of support and the psychiatric report.
“Ms. Lazo was obviously in a very dark place when this happened,” Blouin said.
“She’s done an amazing job of climbing out of that dark place. In a very unusual turn of events, this incidence has maybe opened up some things in her life that were kept back and not dealt with and therefore causing other issues to crop up.”
He added while it is difficult to establish a “clear motive” on the stunt, it seems reasonable that her “lack of judgment” that night was tied to her untreated history of abuse.
Blouin gave Lazo six months to pay the $100 victim fine surcharge.