Testimony begins for man accused of sending bombs to ex-wife, lawyers

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This article was published 24/10/2017 (2688 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The trial of a Winnipeg man accused of sending letter bombs that severely injured a lawyer who lost her hand will begin today.

Guido Amsel, 51, faces several counts of attempted murder after letter bombs were sent to his ex-wife and two Winnipeg law firms in July 2015. One of the bombs seriously injured lawyer Maria Mitousis, who had represented Amsel’s ex-wife in a divorce proceeding.

He is also charged in relation to an explosion at his ex-wife’s home in 2013.

Amsel’s provincial court trial is scheduled to wrap up by Dec. 15, with breaks in between. Amsel has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He will be tried by a judge alone.

Amsel, who was 49 at the time, was arrested more than two years ago after investigators identified him as a suspect in the mailing of three explosive packages — meant for Amsel’s ex-wife, his ex-wife’s lawyer (Mitousis) and his own lawyer, police said at the time.

Mitousis lost her right hand in the blast and had to undergo extensive surgery after a package she opened inside her River Avenue law office exploded July 3, 2015.

Mitousis was in her office with several co-workers nearby when she handled a package addressed to her that contained a bomb reportedly hidden inside a recording device.

Another package, allegedly meant for Amsel’s ex-wife, was delivered to a Winnipeg auto shop on Washington Avenue and later was detonated by police. A third explosive package, also safely detonated by police, was delivered to Amsel’s former lawyer’s office on Stradbrook Avenue.

The series of explosive packages mailed through Canada Post prompted police to encourage the public to be wary of suspicious mail and led to further investigation that eventually resulted in additional charges against Amsel, who has no criminal record.

Court documents reveal Amsel and his ex-wife, Iris, were involved in a nasty, decade-long court battle that began in 2004. The couple had married in Germany in 1988 but stopped living together in 2003. They were parents of a son, Kyle, born in 1995.

“There has been a permanent breakdown of our marriage,” Guido wrote in his affidavit. He cited “unhappy differences” between the couple.

Amsel and Iris drafted a separation agreement in which she would retain primary custody, he would pay $500 in monthly child support, and they would divide all their property and assets equally, including the Eurotech Autobody shop they were running together.

In 2010, Amsel had rejected Iris’s bid to travel to Germany that summer with their now teenaged son. He called his estranged wife and her parents “criminals” and expressed concerns they might keep Kyle overseas using stolen money.

That prompted son Kyle to file his own affidavit, criticizing his father for preventing the trip.

“I do not believe the accusations,” Kyle wrote. “My mother tries to keep me out of what is happening between her and my father… unfortunately, I am old enough to understand it.”

Amsel later accused his ex-wife of stealing more than $3 million from the business they once ran together through “erroneous and unexplained” transactions. He also accused her of flushing his wedding ring down the toilet and interfering in his new romantic relationship by calling him and pretending to be the boyfriend of his current partner.

Iris responded by calling Amsel “unstable, volatile and unpredictable” and his allegations were “scandalous, irrelevant and inflammatory.”

In 2013, Iris filed for additional child support on behalf of Kyle, who was set to begin college in Alberta. She said more help was needed with expenses totalling more than $20,000.

Amsel refused and suggested he shouldn’t have to pay because Kyle may not be his son. He requested DNA testing in an exchange of letters with Iris’s lawyer — Maria Mitousis.

“I have to question the fatherhood of Kyle. I would like to take an example (swab out of his mouth) so I can DNA test him and me to give me peace of mind,” Amsel wrote in one letter.

Mitousis rejected the bid.

“Ms. Amsel has difficulty accepting that you are now questioning Kyle’s paternity,” she wrote. “There is absolutely no basis for this position. My client will not agree to your requesting DNA testing.”

The file ended late in 2014 when both parties agree to a revised separation agreement. Amsel was ordered to pay enhanced child support of $583 monthly after financial records showed he was making $60,000 per year, while Iris was only bringing in about $7,000 annually.

The case last appeared on the docket June 22 — one week before Amsel allegedly mailed the bombs.

Randy Turner
Reporter

Randy Turner spent much of his journalistic career on the road. A lot of roads. Dirt roads, snow-packed roads, U.S. interstates and foreign highways. In other words, he got a lot of kilometres on the odometer, if you know what we mean.

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