‘Cowardly and deplorable’: Annex fire that claimed the life of an 84-year-old woman was a homicide, police say

Toronto police believe a fire that claimed the life of 84-year-old Giovanna Balestrieri in Toronto's Yorkville neighborhood over the weekend was a homicide.

Police say they believe a two-alarm fire in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood that claimed the life of an 84-year-old woman over the weekend was a homicide.

The blaze broke out at a two-storey home on Boswell Avenue, near Davenport and Avenue roads, at around 11 p.m. on Saturday.

Giovanna Balestrieri, 84, of Toronto, was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries but was pronounced dead a short time later.

Balestrieri is the city’s 36^th homicide victim of the year.

No other injuries were reported.

‘Arson investigation with a criminal component’

Calling what occurred an “arson investigation with a criminal component” to it, Det. Sgt. Trevor Grieve, of Toronto Police Service’s Homicide and Missing Persons Unit, said on Monday that investigators have obtained footage from the area that shows a lone suspect approaching and going down the side of the house prior to the fire.

“There is then an explosion and a fire which occurs, and that suspect then flees the scene shortly thereafter,” he said during a news conference.

Grieve said emergency responders attended the area just after 11 p.m. and found Balestrieri on the second floor of the residence.

She was the home’s lone occupant and lived alone there, he said, noting that that she died as a result of injuries sustained during the fire.

This video is not being made publicly available at this time, Grieve said, as it is “just not quality enough at this point in time to release something that will aid our investigation.”

He noted that the suspect is only described as wearing dark clothing.

An autopsy was conducted on Monday and Balestrieri’s family is currently en route to the city from outside of the Greater Toronto Area, Grieve said.

‘Cowardly and deplorable’

“If I’m going to be candid, this was a tragic and senseless act. In fact, cowardly and deplorable come to mind,” he said, calling what occurred a “targeted incident.”

“We are going to do everything we can to find the individual who is responsible for that and we are currently in that process.”

Victim was ‘full of life,’ says neighbour

Neighbours told CP24 that Balestrieri lived in the house for more than 20 years, adding that her husband passed away several years ago. She also had two sons who live in the United States, they said.

One resident of the street who asked to not be identified said he smelled smoke from his upstairs window on Saturday night and ran outside. He said tried to get into Balestrieri’s house to get her out but it was already full of smoke and he couldn’t get in. The neighbour said he then called 911.

He added that he has have viewed the video footage showing the suspect, which was captured by another neighbour who lives east of the house that was set on fire. In it, a person wearing dark clothing, a surgical mask, and gloves is seen on the east side of the house minutes before the blaze erupted.

Rabbi Meir Dubrawsky, of the Yorkville Jewish Centre at 94 Avenue Rd., was shocked to learn that a woman he saw on a regular basis for the past several years perished in last weekend’s fire.

Visibly moved to learn of her identity, Dubrawsky said Balestrieri was someone who “very friendly” and “full of life.”

He said they frequently greeted one another and chatted while he was tending to his garden or walking from his vehicle to the centre, where he also lives.

The rabbi said he often remarked how Balestrieri was always so full of energy, remembering her as a “beautiful woman” who had “very thick beautiful Italian accent.”

The Office of the Fire Marshal remains on scene along with Toronto Police Service forensics and Toronto fire investigators.

Police are thanking people in the area for their assistance with this investigation and are asking anyone with further information to contact them at 416-808-5300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

With files from CP24’s Beatrice Vaisman