Raynald Desjardins and the Salvatore Montagna hit - revisted

Mob boss Raynald Desjardins is out and about after doing his time for the Montagna hit, and has been for months. His name hasn't hit the news, yet. There is a great deal of bad blood associated with those who crossed the influential gangster when he was caged.

Shot 3 times, Montagna smashed through a window of the house to try to save himself.

Raynald Desjardins was nervous when detectives visited on Nov 25, 2011. It was a day after Desjardins killed Montagna. Montagna had sent a text message; "I want you to know that you are my friend." Montagna agreed that Jack Simpson, a Desjardins man, take him to the meeting.

Desjardins was not there. Five minutes later Montagna fled Simpson's house with 3 .357 gunshot wounds. Montagna was shot dead on November 24, 2011.

Footprints at the edge of the river were consistent with Jack Simpson's boots.

The day after the murder of Salvatore (Sal the Iron Worker) Montagna, Raynald Desjardins was obsessed by the fear of being killed. The boss was worried, anxious and irritable. He isn't satisfied with the armored Lexus he procured after being targeted in mid-September. He arranges to import an armoured GMC Denali SUV equipped with a bomb protection system. Desjardins was arrested the next day.

Raynald Desjardins in 2011

Desjardins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the murder of Salvatore Montagna. Montagna was killed weeks after an attempt on Desjardins’s life in Laval.

Desjardins was the right-hand man to Montreal mob boss Vito Rizzuto.

Desjardins immediately suspected Montagna. The two men had been partners for several months in an attempt to take control of the Montreal Mafia away from the Rizzuto organization, but their alliance fell apart early in 2011. Six men pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of taking part in the conspiracy to murder Montagna. Vittorio Mirarchi (38); Jack Simpson (73); Calogero Milioto (44); Pietro Magistrale (64); Steven Fracas (31); and Steven D’Addario (38) — admitted their role in the conspiracy to kill

Jack Simpson

Calogero Milioto

Steven Fracas

Pietro Magistrale

Felice Racaniello

The morning that Salvatore Montagna was shot three times and died on a river bank ‎outside Montreal, Raynald Desjardins was having breakfast elsewhere in town with his daughter and chatting about her wedding photo album. Shortly after the killing, Desjardins sent a Blackberry message to his associate, Vittorio Mirarchi: “Done.” “Perfect,” came the reply. Police who were wiretapping Desjardin’s mobile phone immediately knew who was behind the 2011 murder.

Vittorio Mirarchi