Convicted On Manslaughter Charge

THE PRIMARY CULPRIT IN ONE OF Toronto, Ontario's most famous arsons was finally sentenced late last month to serve 12 years in prison for manslaughter and conspiracy to commit arson.  The building that burned is regarded as the largest single-building fire in Toronto's history and made additional headlines several days later when the body of the man who set the fire was found in the basement of the fully-burned out store.

John Magno and his two brothers Frank and Carlo, owned the large hardware store in the Woodbine area of the city that was a neighborhood landmark.  The business was started and built into a successful operation by their father.   But they wanted to expand by moving to another location and then using the old property to build condominium apartments.  After getting a quote for the cost of demolishing the original building which was still open for business and fully stocked, they decided to take another route.  They contracted with two criminals, Sam Paskalis and Tony Jarcevic, to torch the business on Christmas Eve, 2001.

Paskalis and Jarcevic arrived with two other men shortly before midnight in two vans and loaded them up with some selected goods for themselves and one of the vans then drove away.  The others went to the basement and then poured gasoline around the stock before trying to light it off, thinking that the gasoline would simply burn hot and set the entire store ablaze.  Instead, the vapors ignited and a thunderous explosion blew the building apart and rousted the entire neighborhood.

Toronto Sun

The Toronto Fire Department responded with six full alarms and mounted a valiant and successful attempt to contain the fire to the Woodbine Building Supply store.  The responding units found a badly-burned Paskalis wandering the neighborhood, but nobody else was around.  Before the ambulance reached the hospital, Paskalis slipped into a coma and didn't come out of it for several months.  It was just before that when Magno attempted to cash in on a fire insurance policy claim for $3.5 million that had just been bumped up a couple of months before the fire.

It was two weeks after the fire when the investigators finally worked their way down into the basement searching for the cause when they discovered the charred corpse of Jarcevic.  They were able to make a case against Paskalis after he regained consciousness and convicted him on arson charges while preparing to file a 2nd-degree murder count later.  After spending a year in jail while suffering unbearable pain from his injuries, Paskalis made a plea deal with the prosecuter to have his charges reduced in exchange for his confession and full story of who did what.

Sam Paskalis  (Toronto Star)

After years of court procedings and motions, the Magno brothers were finally brought to trial with Frank and Carlo tried and convicted first.  John, who was the ringleader and planner, was convicted in 2008 but not sentenced until last month.

John Magno arrives at court for
his sentencing last month.  (National Post)

The National Post has a complete and detailed report on this complicated case HERE.
The Vancouver Sun reported last month on the sentencing and included some other updates HERE.

Hat tip to Mark Donovan for assistance.

Ten years after the fire, the only thing remaining from the family fortune
that Dad built is this hole in the ground that remains on Danforth Avenue.
(Google Street View)

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