Woodbridge, Ont. man pleads guilty to killing his friend ahead of murder trial

An Ont. man pleads guilty to killing his friend 15 years ago.

Warning: Readers may find content in this article disturbing.

Tony Lucia has admitted to killing his longtime friend Morris Conte in May 2010 before Conte’s dismembered remains were found scattered across Oro-Medonte and Muskoka.

Lucia appeared in a virtual courtroom Friday alongside his lawyers Cosmo Galluzzo, Marco Sciarra, and Michael Lacy, and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter 15 years after he killed Conte in a rage fueled by cocaine and paranoia, the court heard.

In the spring of 2010, the 45-year-old father of four from Bolton was reported missing by family members. In the days that followed, his dismembered remains were discovered in various locations from Oro-Medonte’s sugar bush to Bracebridge and Lake of Bays.

Lucia, who was Conte’s friend at the time, was arrested and charged in September 2022 with first-degree murder. The Crown ultimately withdrew the murder charge following his guilty plea.

The Crown read an Agreed Statement of Facts to the court that described a friendship between Conte and Lucia that soured due to cocaine use that caused Lucia to become “paranoid, irrational, irritable and unpredictable,” while accusing Conte of having an affair with his wife.

The court heard that 15 years ago, an argument broke out between the two men, and Lucia struck Conte in the head, knocking him unconscious. Lucia had been using cocaine at the time, and said he couldn’t recall what exactly happened that night, but that he may have used a tool in his workshop to hurt Conte, who was left for dead.

After injuring himself while intoxicated, Lucia went to hospital. It was then, the court heard, he admitted he told his son, Sam, what had happened. Sam Lucia, the Crown read, went home, and found Conte’s body on his property and cleaned up the scene at his dad’s shop. The court heard Sam dismembered, then disposed of Conte’s remains. His father, however, said he never directed Sam to cover up what he had done.

One year after Conte’s death, Sam Lucia was arrested and charged with being an accessory after death and committing an indignity to a human body. Those charges were later withdrawn.

The Crown said Conte had suffered injuries to the head, rib fractures and a puncture wound to the right eye, along with other injuries that occurred during dismemberment.

Lucia, who turns 65 in a few weeks, was set to stand trial in mid-March.

He has been out on a $1 million bail package with an ankle monitor under house arrest following a bail hearing weeks after his arrest.

Conte’s loved ones, who sought justice for his brutal, senseless killing and dismemberment, were in attendance in the virtual courtroom to witness Lucia plead guilty.

Lucia’s defence lawyer Cosmo Galluzzo released a statement to CTV News following the proceedings clarifying the events that had been alleged by police.

“As was clear with the facts read, Mr. Lucia did not shoot Mr. Conte, nor did he intend to cause his death,” said Galluzzo. “They both consumed a significant amount of drugs and alcohol and became engaged in a physical altercation that went too far.”

Galluzzo said Lucia “has accepted responsibility for what actually happened and accepts that he will be punished appropriately. His hope is that through his guilty plea today and obviating the need for a trial, while it does not bring his friend back, it will bring some closure to the Conte family.”

Lucia returns to a virtual courtroom in three weeks to set a date for his sentencing hearing.

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