MONTREAL, Que. – The case against Adele Sorella, the Laval woman accused of murdering her two daughters, has become complicated by an unexpected development.
The arrest last year of Sorella’s husband, Giuseppe De Vito, 44, after he was on the lam for nearly four years, has altered the Crown’s plans. Friday morning, prosecutor Louis Bouthillier told Quebec Court Judge Paul Chevalier that De Vito was subpoenaed to testify in the case against Sorella, 44, which is still at the preliminary inquiry stage at the Laval courthouse.
Bouthillier announced in September the Crown had finished presenting evidence, but he argued yesterday that De Vito’s arrest has changed things. He was arrested early in October after police learned he was living with another woman in an apartment on De Capri St. in St. Leonard.
Bouthillier also said he wanted to present testimony from a DNA expert because a new report on evidence taken from the crime scene was recently made available to the Crown.
"(De Vito) wasn’t available before," Bouthillier said. "We want to hear him."
Outside the courtroom, Bouthillier explained that as Sorella’s husband, and the father of the victims, De Vito is a potentially important witness, even if he was in hiding when the girls -Sabrina, 8, and Amanda, 9 -were killed inside the family’s home in Laval on March 31, 2009.
De Vito was nowhere to be found in November 2006 when dozens of arrests were made in Project Colisee, a lengthy investigation into the Mafia in Montreal and its associates.
"We’d like to have as much evidence as possible," the prosecutor said in reference to the murder case.
Chevalier agreed to allow the Crown to reopen its case for the preliminary inquiry. The DNA expert was able to testify yesterday afternoon as well as a crime scene technician with the Laval police. Their testimony cannot be reported due to a publication ban.
De Vito, who remains in custody following his arrest in October, was brought to the Laval courthouse yesterday but he did not make it to the witness stand.
Defence lawyer Daniel Rock asked for a postponement. He said his client was subpoenaed on Wednesday and that there wasn’t enough time for him to research what he described as a "very complex" matter.
One issue is whether, as Sorella’s husband, De Vito can testify against his wife in a criminal case, the lawyer said. Rock also pointed out that De Vito still faces drug trafficking, gangsterism and conspiracy charges in Project Colisee. De Vito is alleged to have had a financial interest in a 218 kilogram shipment of cocaine seized at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport during the investigation. He also faces charges related to firearms seized when he was arrested in October. Rock expressed concerns over what he might be asked if he takes the witness stand and whether it would touch on the charges he faces.
"I tried to (research) all this (Thursday) and I couldn’t," Rock said "It was impossible."
Chevalier agreed to postpone arguments on whether De Vito will testify to the end of March.
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