Second arrest in shooting death of Claudia Iacono, Montrealer killed in May
Posted August 14, 2023 2:51 pm.
Last Updated August 14, 2023 3:54 pm.
Montreal police announced the arrest of a second suspect in connection with the May shooting death of Claudia Iacono, the daughter-in-law of a late Mafia figure.
A 30-year-old man was arrested in Toronto on Monday – where he is currently being held for possession of a firearm.
He will appear via video conference in court by tomorrow morning – at the Palais de justice de Montréal – and will be charged with first-degree murder – or premeditated murder.
Iacono was shot and killed in the parking lot of her beauty salon in Côte–des–Neiges–NDG on May 16.
She was the daughter-in-law of Montreal Mafia member Moreno Gallo, who was murdered a decade ago in Mexico.
The first arrest in this case came June 6, when 28-year-old Joel Richard Clarke was taken into custody with the help of Ontario police in Milton, near Toronto – at the request of the SPVM.
The following day, he was charged with first-degree murder.
“The evidence gathered by the investigators shows that the second suspect apprehended today planned the murder, which was then committed by Clarke,” wrote the SPVM in a press release on Monday.
Iacono was shot around 4:30 p.m. on May 16, while driving into a commercial parking lot near Jean-Talon Street and de la Savane Street. The victim’s car collided with a building after she was shot.
She was pronounced dead shortly after.
Witnesses told police the suspect then fled on foot.
It was the eighth homicide of the year in Montreal and police have yet to publicly reveal a motive for the killing.
“The investigation will continue in order to analyze additional leads in connection with this murder. Anyone with information can call 911 or their local police station. It is also possible to contact Info-Crime Montréal anonymously and confidentially at 514 393-1133 or via the reporting form available at infocrimemontreal.ca”
Iacono came amid a series of high-profile Mafia-related killings or attempted murders in the Montreal area.
Leonardo Rizzuto, the son of former Montreal Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto, survived an attempt on his life in March after his car was shot at while he was driving on Highway 440 in Laval.
On June 5, Francesco Del Balso, an organized crime figure, was shot dead in Montreal’s West Island, with many saying it was linked to the attempt on Rizzuto’s life.
