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Canfield man’s statements to be used in court

Judge allows accused’s remarks about fatal crash

YOUNGSTOWN — Judge Maureen Sweeney ruled she will allow to be admitted in an upcoming trial statements Michael G. Malvasi II made to police officers at a hospital and at home after a fatal car crash.

Malvasi, 29, of Timber Run Drive in Canfield, is charged in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court with aggravated vehicular homicide in the Nov. 18, 2017, crash on Shields Road in Canfield that killed passenger Ryan Lanzo, 23, of Boardman.

Malvasi is accused of being intoxicated at the time, failing to stop after the accident and tampering with evidence. The last charge accuses Malvasi of tampering with Lanzo’s body.

Prosecutors have said Malvasi was driving his father’s Mercedes Benz at the time of the early-morning crash, walked a mile or so home from the crash scene, leaving Lanzo behind; got another vehicle and returned to the scene — then drove Lanzo to Malvasi’s house.

When he got home, he awakened his father, Michael Malvasi, now 57, who told the younger Malvasi to go to bed. The elder Malvasi drove Lanzo to a St. Elizabeth emergency center in Austintown, where Lanzo was pronounced dead on arrival.

Last month, Sweeney tossed out evidence obtained through a draw of Malvasi’s blood at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital but allowed evidence to remain regarding Malvasi’s Snapchat account and cellphone.

Malvasi and his attorney, John Juhasz, argued that the statements he gave were not voluntary because he was under the influence of drugs at the time.

State troopers and Canfield police officers went to the house where Malvasi and his parents lived and eventually spoke with Malvasi, who told them about the accident and what drugs and alcohol he had ingested.

Juhasz has argued that the interview Malvasi gave to troopers at his house was coerced, partly because he was “in a fog, having been injured and administered drugs.” Malvasi suffered a head injury and had been administered two types of opioids at the hospital, Juhasz stated.

Sweeney ruled that “based on the facts presented at the hearing, the court finds that (Malvasi) voluntarily spoke to the police and was not in custody.”

Assistant Prosecutor Robert Andrews has stated that Malvasi told a police officer he had consumed six beers, three or four shots of alcohol and smoked marijuana before the accident.

Malvasi is scheduled for another pretrial hearing at 9 a.m. Oct. 14 and a trial at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 19.

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