Hamilton fugitive arrested in Mexico marks breakthrough in 2017 Barberi, Musitano murders

A crime reporter says the family of Mila Barberi will never find true justice, but the arrest of one of the men accused in her murder is long awaited.

International fugitive Daniel Tomassetti has been arrested in Mexico.

He was wanted for nearly a decade for two shootings that killed innocent bystander 28-year-old Barberi and Hamilton mobster Angelo Musitano.

Barberi, a veterinary assistant, was shot and killed as she stood by her vehicle in a parking lot in Vaughan on March 14, 2017. Her boyfriend was also shot and survived.

Police say she was an innocent bystander and that her boyfriend was the intended target.

Peter Edwards is a crime reporter and has covered organized crime in the GTHA extensively.

“She was an absolute total victim. It shows how this stuff isn’t in a vacuum and isn’t a movie. You know, real people do get hurt,” said Edwards.

Barberi’s murder was connected to Angelo – who was shot and killed as he arrived home in Waterdown in his pickup truck on May 2, 2017.

WATCH MORE: Hamilton man arrested, two others sought in Musitano, Barberi homicides

Angelo and his brother Pat were major crime figures in Hamilton.

Pat was also murdered in Burlington on July 10, 2020.

Edwards says he got to know Angelo and Pat’s uncle – who told him that Angelo was lying low and wanted out of the crime life around his death.

“Some of this stuff has an expiry date and I think Angelo was caught in the middle where he wanted out but he was trapped by a name,” said Edwards.

After the murders, one person was arrested – and authorities had said Tomassetti and another person fled to Mexico.

Now, nearly a decade later, Tomassetti is detained in Mexico, facing multiple charges – including murder.

Efforts to extradite him back to Canada are currently underway.

Edwards says although who runs organized crime in Hamilton has changed since the deaths of Pat and Angelo, the crime itself hasn’t.

“Hamilton was more of a force. Now a lot of the activities are the same but the families have moved on. Now there are different people doing the same thing. There are new groups that would be the third tier but they’re dangerous and they’re kind of pop up criminals like the Ryan Wedding type of person who hadn’t been heard of but now he’s a big deal,” said Edwards.

READ MORE: Mexican police detain Hamilton man wanted for 2017 Musitano, Barberi murders