The driver accused of killing NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew while they were riding their bikes on a New Jersey country road pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday after refusing a sentencing offer. prison sentence of 35 years.
Sean M. Higgins, 44, appeared briefly in a Salem County, New Jersey, courtroom and formally entered his plea when the indictment was filed in connection with the deaths that occurred on June 29. last August. A trial must now take place.
Police said Higgins, of Woodstown, had a history of road rage and was intoxicated the day of the tragedy after consuming five or six beers. He alleged he had been driving for two hours at the time of the incident, chatting at times on the phone with a friend, after having a spat with his mother.
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were killed near their family’s home in South Jersey the day before their sister’s wedding.
A driver in front of Higgins told police that he was driving dangerously. When she and another motorist slowed down and veered left to get around the cyclists, Higgins accelerated and swerved the wheel to the right, hitting the Gaudreau brothers head-on, she said.
Higgins had a blood alcohol level of .087, which exceeds the state’s limit of .08, and he failed a breathalyzer test, police said.
He is in custody and has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death, obstruction of justice and hit and run after leaving the crime scene.
Defense attorney Matthew Portella portrayed Higgins as a good family man and person “who made a horrible decision that night.”
Portella and county attorneys confirmed details of the proposal exchanged between the parties.
Johnny Gaudreau, who was nicknamed “Johnny Hockey”, played 10 full seasons in the NHL and was entering his third campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He wore the colors of the Calgary Flames for his first eight seasons.
To watch on video
Swiss
