'I ruined their lives': Drunk driver Marco Muzzo who killed 3 children, grandfather granted day parole

A Toronto-area drunk driver who killed three children and their grandfather has been granted day parole, nearly five years after a horrific crash that devastated a family.

The Parole Board of Canada says that while Marco Muzzo has been granted day parole, he has been denied full parole, and is also subject to various conditions while on release to a halfway house, including no contact with the victims and certain geographical restrictions.

Further details and the reasons for the decision will be released at a later time, the board said. 

The children's mother, Jennifer Neville-Lake, shared the news about the decision in an Instagram post on Tuesday afternoon, saying: "No matter what happened today, Daniel, Harry and Milly don't get to come back home. My dad isn't coming home to my mom. Nothing changes for me."

Muzzo's legal counsel also confirmed the decision with a statement from Muzzo apologizing to the families of those he killed.

"I want to apologize to the Neville-Lake, Neville and Frias families for the terrible pain I have caused them and their loved ones," he said in the statement. "I ruined their lives, and I take full responsibility for what I have done. I always will.

"I was careless and irresponsible when I made the choice to drink and drive. There is no way I can undo the damage that I have caused. I will live with this for the rest of my life."

The collision in Vaughan, Ont., claimed the lives of nine-year-old Daniel Neville-Lake, his five-year-old brother, Harrison, their two-year-old sister, Milly, and the children's 65-year-old grandfather, Gary Neville. The children's grandmother and great-grandmother were also seriously injured.

Muzzo was denied parole in 2018, with the board saying his reluctance to acknowledge a history of binge drinking and his admission that he does not know what contributed to his alcohol misuse raised red flags.

The case continues to draw widespread attention and has spurred multiple petitions over the years from those opposed to his release.

Tuesday's hearing was nonetheless closed to observers, including media, due to physical distancing restrictions related to COVID-19.

The parole board said it has enhanced its technology to allow remote participation in hearings but those efforts are focused on victims, their support persons and offenders' assistants.

  Andrew Murie, chief executive officer for MADD Canada, told CBC Toronto that the decision was not a surprise, though it was when Muzzo was denied day parole in 2018. Murie said Muzzo must have taken courses to better understand his alcohol abuse.

"For the families, this is a life sentence. They are never going to be the same. These are two different worlds we are reporting on here," Murie said.

"His life moves on and that's part of our system and their life doesn't. They have to deal with it for the rest of their lives. It pains them ferociously to see that the offender, who caused all that carnage, out back enjoying life."

Murie said the family was put in a very difficult position on Tuesday because they reported the decision, and had to deal with the emotion evoked by it.

"This was totally wrong today what happened. It puts an additional burden on the victim to report out to the media what happened. That's not a role that they should play," he said.