Thursday, September 26, 2024

Hamilton man arrested, two others sought in Musitano, Barberi homicides

First Published:

(LEFT: Daniel Tomassetti, CENTER: Jabril Abdalla, RIGHT: Michael Cudmore)

A 27-year-old Hamilton man has been arrested and two others are wanted by police in the 2017 homicides of Angelo Musitano and Mila Barberi.

In May 2017, Musitano was shot multiple times while he sat in his pickup truck in the driveway of his family home in Waterdown. He was a well-known member of the notorious Musitano crime family in Hamilton.

“It was evident from the beginning that this very public execution was likely the result of his involvement in the family business,” said Sgt. Det. Peter Thom at a news conference in Hamilton Thursday morning.

Following Musitano’s death, police discovered a link between his murder and the slaying of 28-year-old Barberi and attempted murder of her boyfriend, Saverio Serrano, in March 2017.

Barberi was killed in broad daylight as she sat in a parked car outside of a business in York Region. Serrano was also in the vehicle and suffered only minor injuries in the shooting.

“It will be fair to say Mila Barberi was not the intended target that day. Mr. Serrano was,” said Thom. Police say his father, Diego Serrano, is connected to organized crime in York Region.

Hamilton Police Service Major Crime Unit joined forces with the RCMP, FBI, Homeland Security, Toronto, York and Niagara police to launch Project SCOPA.

“This was a particularly difficult crime to solve given the complexity of the investigation across various jurisdictions,” said Hamilton Police Chief Eric Girt.

The year-long investigation led to the arrest of Jabril Abdalla, 27, at his Hamilton home around 3 p.m. Wednesday.

He appeared in court Thursday morning.

Canada-wide warrants have been issued for Michael Graham Cudmore, 37, from Hamilton and Daniel Tomassetti, 27, of Ancaster.

Police believe Cudmore and Tomassetti have fled to Mexico.

All three men are facing two counts of first degree murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder and a charge of attempted murder.

Investigators are encouraging Cudmore and Tomassetti to turn themselves into police and warn anyone who aides their efforts to evade police will be charged with accessory after the fact to murder.

Police say they are still trying to determine the motivation behind Musitano’s killing. “We believe there are members of Musitano’s family and associates that know the exact motive for his murder,” said Thom. “They, however, have chosen to remain silent.”

 

The investigation has spanned nearly two years, starting back in October of 2016.

Here is a look at the timeline on when the mob hits started and finished:

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