The man accused of impaired driving causing the death of two pedestrians early in the morning of New Year’s Day pleaded guilty to the charges against him at the Montreal courthouse on Tuesday.
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The accused, Antoine Dubuc, allegedly fled in his vehicle and then on foot after hitting the two pedestrians, Augustin Wesley Katimba and Michael Chintakis, on Boulevard Henri-Bourassa near Boulevard de l’Acadie.
Michael Chintakis had also decided to leave his vehicle behind because he had celebrated with friends.
Unfortunately, the driver hit him fatally.
One of his friends, Spiro Ilias, believes that the accused has no empathy.
“The behavior, how he puts himself in court [sic]”It’s not human behavior,” he said. “It’s a behavior [de] robot or [de] monster. It’s not a behavior of mind [sic].”
In addition to the 7 years in prison, a joint suggestion of the two lawyers ratified by the court, the judge imposed a driving ban for a period of 9 years.
Me Anik Archambault for the Crown spoke of a reasonable and proportionate sentence that is at the high end of the range, a fair sentence based on the law and reflecting the moral culpability of the accused.
Several letters were read in the courtroom by relatives of the victims, letters revealing the pain and suffering caused by the accused.
The vehicle crossed the red traffic light, before hitting the two pedestrians who were thrown several meters and whose death was pronounced on the spot, due to obvious causes of death.
The driver then continued on his way and did not stop. 1.3 km later, he lost control of his vehicle on a curve.
The accused was traveling at a maximum speed of between 185 and 200 km/h before the impact with the first pedestrian, and between 164 and 177 km/h during the impact with the second.
The speed limit on Henri-Bourassa Boulevard is 50 km/h.
See the full explanation in the video above.
