The 2022 Toronto Homicide Victim List is available here
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Toronto police responded to a 911 call for Unknown Trouble in the area of Gamma Street and Valermo Drive on September 25th at approximately 3:09 a.m.
On arrival police located a woman near the roadway with very serious injuries, and she was transported to hospital via emergency run. Initially, the victim’s husband Giuseppe Antonio Zollerano, 48, was arrested and charged with numerous offenses, including attempted murder.
The victim who has since been identified as Katherine Zollerano, 43, died of her injuries in hospital on November 2nd. On November 7th the charges against Giuseppe Antonio Zollerano, 48, of Toronto, were upgraded to first-degree murder.
Update May 5th 2026: Giuseppe (Joe) Zollerano was found guilty of manslaughter in June 2025, after a jury determined he did not have the intent required for a first-degree murder conviction in the 2022 death of his wife, Katherine Zollerano. She died after spending weeks in intensive care, leaving behind their teenage daughter.
At sentencing, the judge agreed with the defence that the unlawful act was dangerous driving rather than an intentional assault, though the Crown had argued Zollerano deliberately used his van as a weapon and sought a longer sentence. The court found that his actions, driving onto the curb during an argument, were dangerous and contributed to his wife’s death, even as evidence suggested a possible brake failure. The judge also noted the incident occurred in the context of escalating domestic violence that evening.
The court considered several aggravating factors, including Zollerano’s anger, alcohol use, and decision to leave the scene without calling for help, as well as attempts to mislead others afterward, Global News reports. While his mental health issues and expressions of remorse were taken into account, the judge concluded they were not the primary cause of the event. Family members of the victim expressed disappointment with the sentence, saying it did not go far enough in addressing intimate partner violence.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.