A man believed to be a former associate of Montreal mafia boss Vito Rizzuto was shot to death at his home in the Vimont district of Laval, Que. on Saturday night. Vincenzo Spagnolo, 65, is said to have had close ties to the Rizzuto crime family, considered one of the most powerful in Canada. Rizzuto was the reigning head of the Montreal mafia before he died of lung cancer in 2013. André Cédilot, a retired journalist and author who wrote extensively about the mafia, told CTV Montreal on Sunday that Spagnolo was one of Rizzuto’s closest confidants. “His role in the Rizzuto clan was like a mailbox,” Cédilot said. “If somebody had a message to Vito Rizzuto, they pass through Vincenzo Spagnolo and if Vito had a message to somebody else, he passed through Vincenzo Spagnolo.” Cédilot said that Spagnolo was always loyal to the Sicilian branch of the mafia and remained active in the organization after Rizzuto’s death three years ago. "This guy, he had knowledge, he knew a lot of things about the organization inside the Rizzuto clan and then he was playing a bigger role since a couple of years (ago)," Cédilot said. Spagnolo had a very low-key profile and owned several businesses, according to the author. Laval police responded to a call near the intersection of Arthur-Mignault and Antoine-Forestier streets around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Police said the victim had been shot once in his home. The Sureté du Quebec took over the investigation once it was discovered the victim had ties to organized crime. An autopsy has been scheduled for early next week. Police officials said they have no suspects yet. The shooting follows the death of Rocco Sollecito, another close associate of Rizzuto’s, who was murdered in Laval last May. Another influential member of the organization, Lorenzo Giordano, who was considered a possible contender to lead the crime family, was shot to death in a parking lot in Laval in March. Cédilot believes this latest murder indicates a new guard is moving in on the old one in Montreal. He suggests that other criminal groups, including the Calabrese mafia with the influence of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia based in Ontario, and the Hells Angels are all vying for supremacy in the city’s organized crime world. With a report from CTV Montreal
