

Chris Herhalt, CP24.com





A young woman convicted of hurling chairs and other objects off the balcony of a downtown high rise last year will have to wait until next month to learn her fate.

Marcella Zoia, 20, was convicted of mischief endangering life last November after police began investigating a video of a woman throwing two chairs and other objects over a balcony near the Gardiner Expressway.

Zoia, a dental hygiene student-turned Instagram model, turned herself in to police back in February.

The incident occurred at a building near Harbour and York streets on Feb. 9.

Luckily, the chairs did not land on any vehicles or cause any injuries. At the time, police called the incident “callous” and said the results could have been “horrific” if the falling objects had landed on someone or caused a collision.

Zoia has been on bail since February 2019, with conditions she live with her mother, refrain from contact with four other individuals named in the incident and remain away from the Maple Leaf Square Condos where the incident took place.

Her lawyer, Greg Leslie, has repeatedly indicated to reporters that the Crown is seeking jail time of up to six months, something he says his client will not accept.

“It’s been my position all along, that she should receive a suspended sentence,” he told reporters outside Old City Hall court on Tuesday.

He says that on Tuesday, the Crown indicated that they seek to prove, with the aid of a witness, that Zoia posted the video of herself throwing a chair on social media, in a bid to seek notoriety.

It’s a charge Leslie rejects.

“What I can indicate is that the Crown specifically states she posted the video to Snapchat, my client is firm that she did not post the video to Snapchat,” he said. “It’s clear that she is not holding any cell phone, any camera – she is the one tossing a chair – if you think about it, it’s interesting.”

If the Crown proves Zoia posted the video herself, Leslie said it would be an “aggravating factor” in determining her sentence.

Leslie says his client now works as a model, but rejected any claim that her actions on the balcony generated clout for her modelling career.

Zoia appeared in rapper Drake’s latest music video, but was then edited out after her appearance generated major media coverage.

“She was in a Drake video for what – 1.7 seconds – she happened to be there on a dance floor. I think it was inappropriate and unnecessary for Drake to remove her, but he did so,” Leslie said.

She was scheduled to be sentenced at Old City Hall on Tuesday but the Crown asked for more time to call another witness.

Her next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.

Leslie said Zoia is “anxious” over the matter continuing, but doesn’t want to admit to something “she didn’t do.”