Two men charged in attempted murder of Leonardo Rizzuto
Quebec provincial police arrested two men in connection to the attempted murder of alleged organized crime leader Leonardo Rizzuto on Highway 440 in Laval last March. They appeared in a Laval court on Monday to face charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of prohibited firearms.
In a statement the organized crime enforcement squad (ENRCO) says Kevin Rochebrun, 32, of Mascouche, and Steve Emmanuel Barthelemy, 34, of Rivière-des-Prairies, were arrested Monday morning.
The two were apprehended in April, but released with a promise to appear in court. They were arrested again Monday morning following additional evidence.
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They will be back in court on Wednesday.
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Authorities have not officially named the victim, but he is said to be Leonardo Rizzuto, son of the former godfather of the Montreal mafia, Vito Rizzuto.
At around 4:30 p.m. on March 15, 2023, Rizzuto was reportedly shot at several times, from someone in a moving vehicle as he drove on Highway 440. In his Mercedes, Rizzuto took exit 17 leading to Highway 13 southbound and drove to the parking lot of a funeral complex in the Sainte-Dorothée area.
The occupant of a black Porsche Macan allegedly fired several times at the victim’s car. The investigation showed that a second vehicle, a red Porsche Macan, could be linked to the attempted murder.
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There are media reports and speculation that Francesco Del Balso, 53, was allegedly involved in the hit on Rizzuto’s life. Del Balso was shot and killed in broad daylight in Dorval on June 5.
“Francesco Del Balso, used to run the gambling for the Rizzuto crime family. He had the skill and expertise on this field. And he tried to carve out a space in the control of extortion and gambling, illegal betting this racket and end up clashing with the organization leaders,” said Antonio Nicaso, an expert on the Calabrian Mafia who has written over 40 books on organized crime, at the time of the murder.
“[Del Balso] had tried to leave the country, which showed that he was being hunted down and had no way to defend himself or carry on the conflict,” Nicaso added in an interview that day.
