Alfred Guy Vuozzo sentenced to life for double murder at emotional hearing
Alfred Guy Vuozzo, 46, who was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 35 years, yelled, "You've sentenced me to life and I sent them to death," and called out expletives at the victims' family as he left the courtroom.
Justice Gordon Campbell called Vuozzo's murder of the father and son an act of "hatred and misdirected vengeance."
Vuozzo pleaded guilty in February to the first-degree murder of 68-year-old Brent McGuigan and the second-degree murder of his son, 39-year-old Brendon McGuigan. The two were shot in Brent McGuigan's home on St. Mary's Road, near the eastern P.E.I. town of Montague, on Aug. 20, 2014.
The court has heard Vuozzo shot the two men out of revenge for a fatal motor vehicle crash 40 years ago involving the two families. Brent McGuigan's father was driving a vehicle involved in a collision in 1970 that killed Vuozzo's sister.
History of depression, mental illness
Vuozzo told the courtroom that when his sister Cathy was killed, "Our lives were ruined."
He said there was no support from the community after her death.
"Call me a cold-blooded killer, but I'm not."
Vuozzo said he was in constant misery after Cathy's death and needed to do something for her.
Crown attorney John Diamond called the double murder "callous, pointless" and said it was the worst crime in Island history.
Diamond said the sentence should reflect the lifelong mourning and pain the murder has caused for the McGuigan family and requested back-to-back periods of parole ineligibility. In that case, Vuozzo would not have been been eligible for parole for 50 years.
Defence attorney Thane MacEachern said Vuozzo had no previous criminal record, but had a history of depression, traces of mental illness and is socially isolated.
MacEachern said Vuozzo would be 71 before eligible for parole if he was sentenced to a 25-year ineligibility and that a consecutive parole sentence offered no hope.
The sentence handed down by Campbell gave Vuozzo 25 years parole ineligibility for the first-degree murder charge and another 10 years parole ineligibility for the second-degree murder charge.
'A part of me died with them that night'
Several of the McGuigan's family members read victim impact statements.
Brent's wife and mother of Brendon, Marie McGuigan told the court, "a part of me died with them that night."
When Marie McGuigan asked Vuozzo where in the house Brent died, Vuozzo struggled to remember the details. He then called out, "I'm sorry Mrs. McGuigan."
Marie McGuigan was home at the time of the shootings and discovered her husband and son.
The court heard Vuozzo knew she was home and chose not to shoot her.
As Marie McGuigan left the stand Monday, a man rose and shouted to Vuozzo, "I won't go as easy on your mother," to which Vuozzo responded, "I'll remember that."
The man was removed from the courtroom, shouting profanities at Vuozzo.
Brent McGuigan's daughter, Donna, was tearful while reading her victim impact statement. She said the murders have left her full of sadness and anger.
Brent McGuigan's brother Ivan had his victim impact statement read by P.E.I. Victim Services.
