Canadian Suspect in Two Ontario Murders Arrested in Mexico After Almost 10 Years on the Run

A man wanted for nearly a decade in connection with two organized crime-related murders in southern Ontario has been captured by police in Mexico.

York Regional Police and Hamilton Police have confirmed to The Epoch Times that Daniel Tomassetti, the subject of a Canada-wide warrant since 2018, has been arrested in Mexico.

Tomassetti was wanted for the 2017 murders of Hamilton mobster Angelo Musitano and 28-year-old Mila Barberi, whose boyfriend was an associate of the Musitano family.

Barberi was killed outside a Vaughan, Ont., business in March of 2017. Investigators characterized the incident as a targeted attack on Barberi’s boyfriend, Saverio Serrano, who was also shot, but survived. Musitano was shot and killed in Waterdown, Ont., nearly two months later.

Tomassetti, 35, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and three counts of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the shootings, according to a police press release.

Hamilton police, which is leading the multi-jurisdictional investigation into the murders, said in a media statement that “efforts are underway to facilitate his extradition back to Canada,” but added that Tomassetti is “contesting extradition.”

Murder Investigation

Hamilton police launched Project Scopa in 2017 with York police and the RCMP to investigate the murders of Musitano and Barberi, and the attempted murder of Serrano. The investigation, related to organized crime, uncovered a conspiracy involving killers-for-hire and resulted in arrests and international manhunts.

The case began after officers from the York Regional police were called to reports of a shooting outside an industrial complex in Vaughan on March 14, 2017.

Officers found Serrano and Barberi, who was unresponsive, suffering from gunshot wounds at the scene, according to a police press release. Barberi was transported to hospital where she was pronounced dead. Serrano was also transported to hospital with gunshot wounds to the arm.

Investigators later said Barberi was not the intended target but was shot while sitting in the vehicle with Serrano, who she had just picked up from work.

Musitano, 39, was murdered on May 2, 2017. He was shot dead while sitting in his pickup truck in the driveway of his home in Waterdown, a community in the city of Hamilton.

Police named three suspects in the joint murder case: Tomassetti, Michael Cudmore, and Jabirl Abdalla, and arrested one of them in September 2018.

Abdalla, 27, of Hamilton was taken into custody and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and three counts of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the shootings, police said in a press release.

Police also issued warrants for Cudmore, a 37-year-old Hamilton resident, and Tomassetti, from Ancaster. Police later said they believed both men had fled the country and Cudmore was found dead in Mexico in June 2020.

Tomassetti ranked No. 21 on Canada’s Most Wanted list in 2023 and the Hamilton police issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Hamilton police also announced in 2023 that an Interpol red notice had been issued for Tomassetti, who was believed to be in the United States or Mexico. A red notice acts as a request for law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a fugitive pending extradition.

Police have not shared any of the details leading up to Tomassetti’s arrest in Mexico.