DEPRISCO o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2007-01-10 published
Family wants answers in son's Mexico death
Friend claims Woodbridge man, 19, was beaten outside Acapulco
nightclub but police say he was hit-and-run victim
By Tracy HUFFMAN,
Crime
Reporter
Adam DEPRISCO had worked for months to save enough money to go
to Acapulco with a long-time friend -- his first vacation without
family.
But just three days after landing in Mexico for the two-week
stay, the 19-year-old Woodbridge man was killed.
Now his family is demanding to know what happened.
Mexican authorities say he was struck by a car after leaving
a nightclub on a busy road but the family believes he was beaten
after dancing with a local man's girlfriend. The one thing both
parties agree on is that
DEPRISCO -- who worked by day as a painter
with his uncle and by night clearing tables at a Woodbridge restaurant
was killed by someone who has not been apprehended.
Overwhelmed with grief,
DEPRISCO's mother Carm and father Benny,
have been staying with relatives, unable to return to a home
filled with pictures and memories of their son. With the help
of a large and close family, they have made dozens of phone calls
to Mexican and Canadian authorities, but still don't believe
their son's death is getting the attention it deserves.
"I want these guys found," said
DEPRISCO's older brother Tony
at his uncle's home yesterday. "It seems like everybody is trying
to cover up what happened."
"We have theories but no facts," said
DEPRISCO's uncle, Claudio
PANNOZZI.
"There's no clear indication as to what happened and it seems
like no one wants to help us find answers" said
DEPRISCO's aunt,
Lucy DEFILIPPIS-
PANNOZZI.
Mexican police told the Star yesterday they are investigating
what they believe was a hit-and-run accident early Sunday morning.
DEPRISCO died in a Mexican hospital at 9: 15 p.m. Monday. An aunt
and uncle made it to his bedside before he died and have been
dealing with Mexican police and hospital officials.
Initially the family believed he was hit by a car, but now believe
he was beaten, especially after speaking to
DEPRISCO's travelling
companion Marco
CALABRO and the relatives who flew to Mexico
hours after hearing he was in hospital.
"I want someone to find who did this to my son," said Carm
DEPRISCO,
sobbing uncontrollably. "I want someone to take charge. I lost
my son, I'm not going to let this go without being fought."
Carm DEPRISCO has been weeping since she received a phone call
from her son's friend around 5 a.m. Sunday.
According to family, Adam
DEPRISCO went to a nightclub with his
friend on Saturday night. He was dancing with a local woman when
a man, possibly her boyfriend, became upset.
A bouncer threw
DEPRISCO from the bar, the family believes. When
CALABRO went looking for him, he found his friend on the ground
outside the club, bleeding from his head, said Tony
DEPRISCO.
Police in Acapulco said
DEPRISCO's injuries were typical for
someone struck by a car. But the family believes he would have
suffered more than head injuries if hit by a car.
The investigation is continuing, said Victor Hernández, a spokesperson
for Acapulco police.
DEPRISCO was a good man who never had run-ins with the law and
loved to make others happy, his family said. After graduating
from high school he decided to take a year off, save some money
and take a two-week vacation to Mexico. He wanted to become a
tool and die maker and planned to begin an apprenticeship later
this year.
"He worked hard and never depended on anyone," said brother Tony.
"He had a big heart."
Through their frustration and hunt for answers, the
DEPRISCOs
said they want Canadians to be safe, perhaps even through a travel
ban to Mexico.
"We don't want people coming home from Mexico like Adam," said
PANNOZZI.
Calls to the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa were not returned.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said a travel
advisory is in place that urges travellers to exercise "caution
and prudence" travelling in Mexico.
The department is aware of
DEPRISCO's death but there are no
plans to request that Canadians not travel to Mexico, said Rejean
Beaulieu, a spokesperson for the department.
"We are helping the family. We've been in touch with them to
see what kind of assistance they are looking for," he said.
But the family said they still don't have answers.
DEPRISCO's body is expected to arrive in Canada today or tomorrow.
Funeral arrangements have not been confirmed.
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