Man accused in two Mob murders pleads guilty to criminal organization charge
The only man to ever spend time in jail accused in two area Mob murders has admitted to participating in a criminal organization.
Jabril Abdalla faced two charges of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting deaths of Hamilton mobster Angelo Musitano and innocent bystander Mila Barberi, along with the attempted murder of Barberi's then boyfriend Saverio Serrano. These charges are expected to be withdrawn.
More than three years after his Sept. 19, 2018 arrest, Abdalla pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to participating in a criminal organization for money between August 2016 and May 2017. He had two cars registered in his name and drove people, but said he had no knowledge of murder plots or who he was working for.
I am not a murderer," he said.
He was sentenced to time served, a $500 fine and a three-year peace bond. The criminal organization charge carries a maximum sentence of five years. Abdalla was given credit for 46 months of pre-trial custody.
Abdalla was not alleged to be the gunman in either of the shootings, but to have participated with two others in the plot. Police have never charged or named who they believed ordered the hits.
The alleged gunman Michael Cudmore fled to Mexico soon after the murders and a year ago was found murdered there.
The other co-accused, Daniel Tomassetti, also fled to Mexico and remains wanted on an international warrant.
Musitano, 28, was shot in the driveway of his Waterdown home on May 2, 2017. It marked the beginning of a resurgence in Mob violence in Hamilton that has also included the slaying of Angelo's brother, Mob boss Pasquale (Pat) Musitano, in Burlington last July.
Barberi, 28, died after being shot multiple times outside a vehicle in Vaughan parking lot on March 14, 2017. The target of that shooting was a member of the Serrano crime family. Barberi's then boyfriend Saverio Serrano was shot in the arm and survived.
Throughout the lengthy pre-trial hearings the Barberi family has not missed a court date, facing evidence about a criminal underworld they previously knew nothing about.
Mila, a veterinary technician, loved her family, nature and animals. She was too trusting."
Neither the Musitano nor Serrano families have participated in the court process.
Abdalla was just released on bail - for the second time - last month after a second bail review in the complex legal case. He was also out on bail for seven months in 2020.
More to come.
Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com