Man found guilty of manslaughter gets 5 years in prison for wife’s death - BERITAJA

A man who drove onto a curb, striking and sidesplitting his woman of 16 years aft a conflict extracurricular the couple’s Etobicoke home, has been sentenced to 5 years successful prison.

On June 27, 2025, a assemblage recovered Giuseppe (Joe) Zollerano not blameworthy of the first-degree execution of his wife, Katherine (Katie) Zollerano, but blameworthy of the lesser and included offence of manslaughter.

Katherine Zollerano, who had a 15-year-old girl pinch her husband, spent 5 weeks successful the intensive attraction portion of Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital earlier succumbing to her injuries.

At the sentencing proceeding successful February, Crown prosecutors James Frost and Amanda Hauk based on that Joe Zollerano committed an enactment of unlawful battle erstwhile he drove up onto the curb connected Sept. 25, 2022, connected Gamma Avenue, striking his 43-year-old woman pinch his GMC Savana van.

Despite the truth that the assemblage recovered location was nary murderous intent successful convicting Zollerano of manslaughter, the Crown based on it was still an intentional and deliberate battle utilizing his van.

Defence lawyers Boris Bytensky and Laura Metcalfe based on that the unlawful enactment was vulnerable driving, saying Zollerano, who was 48 astatine the time, had nary volition of striking his wife. Zollerano’s lawyers based on that sentencing should beryllium based connected the unlawful enactment of vulnerable driving.

“In ray of the verdict, the tribunal cannot beryllium satisfied beyond a reasonable uncertainty that he intended to usage his van to intentionally onslaught her arsenic the Crown urges,” Superior Justice Michael Brown said, agreeing pinch the defence that Zollerano committed the unlawful enactment of vulnerable driving.

The Crown had asked for a 10-year situation sentence, arguing this was not conscionable a lawsuit of bad driving. They based on that Zollerano’s actions must beryllium considered successful the discourse of this being an friendly partner unit manslaughter, which usually ranges betwixt 7 and 12 years.

The defence countered that Zollerano, who suffers from bipolar disorder, should beryllium spared further imprisonment and asked for either a conditional aliases suspended sentence, which they said would still reside the rumor of denunciation. They besides said a further play of probation of up to 3 years would beryllium appropriate, on pinch a driving prohibition.

The defence based on that maintaining Zollerano’s intelligence wellness stableness would let him to proceed successful the organization pinch ongoing psychotherapy, captious for Zollerano and the public.

Brown said it was an aggravating facet that Zollerano utilized his van to intimidate and instill fearfulness successful his woman by driving the measurement he did, uncovering that he was angry astatine her for moving distant from the family home.

“His volition was to find her and bring her backmost to the family home,” Brown said.

The judge besides accepted the grounds of a mechanic for the defence, who testified location was a nonaccomplishment successful the braking system.

“However, I’m besides satisfied his vulnerable driving contributed to Mrs. Zollerano’s death, notwithstanding the brake failure,” Brown added.

Brown called it aggravating that the vulnerable driving was perpetrated successful the discourse of Zollerano’s friendly partner narration pinch Katherine Zollerano.

“His vulnerable driving was the consequence of a culmination of home unit that evening that ended pinch Mrs. Zollerano’s death. His anger was initially manifested immoderate hours earlier arsenic captured connected video erstwhile he slapped her connected the face, past pushed her retired of the garage, causing her to autumn to the ground,” Brown said. “It escalated later, erstwhile he attempted to intimidate and origin fearfulness by driving the van.”

Brown besides said the truth that Zollerano was drunk and was taking the supplier lorazepam for his bipolar upset was aggravating.

“He knew the effects of lorazepam erstwhile he drank alcohol,” Brown added.

Also aggravating was the truth that aft hitting his woman pinch his van, Zollerano near the scene, drove disconnected to a state position and did not telephone 911. He past went home, parked the van and walked to the segment earlier moving his woman from the location wherever she was deed crossed the street. He besides lied to their girl about the circumstances about her mother’s death, which Brown said compounded the anguish she was subjected to.

“It was callous behaviour based connected his desire not to beryllium held responsible for his unlawful activity,” the judge said. “I do not judge his grounds that he did not recognize he had struck his woman pinch the van.”

The judge said mitigating factors included Zollerano’s remorse, the beardown support of his family and friends, including a health-care provider, and his intelligence wellness issues.

“While I judge his bipolar upset played a domiciled successful this incident, successful my view, Mr. Zollerano’s superior information was his anger towards Mrs. Zollerano and his desire to instil fearfulness and intimidate Mrs. Zollerano truthful she would return home,” Brown said. “To put it different way, his intelligence unwellness did not play a cardinal domiciled successful this.”

Brown called it mitigating that Zollerano has been connected restrictive bail conditions since January 2023.

After enhanced in installments for 108 days successful pre-sentence custody and 67 days of harsh lockdown, which the judge said equals 7 months, Zollerano has 4 years and 5 months near to serve.

“Were it not for the mitigating circumstances successful this case, I would person imposed a condemnation of 8 years,” Brown told the court.

Katherine Zollerano’s aunt Roberta Newman said extracurricular tribunal and said she is disappointed pinch the sentence.

“We listened hard. We understood what the judge was saying. I consciousness that he had a batch of logic to person an friendly partner unit condemnation harsher than what he did. There’s 112 municipalities successful this state that has recognized it arsenic an epidemic. Katie is one. What do we person to do to get our justness strategy to understand that we request much help?” Newman said.

“We are truthful disappointed and saddened that we weren’t capable to thief Katie and we dream that this portion of the process that’s ended will springiness her psyche immoderate peace.”