More damming evidence emerges in Gaudreau brothers’ murder case!
After a plea deal in the case was turned down, this came up:
On Tuesday, the man accused of killing Columbus Blue Jackets superstar Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew in August pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against him. Sean Higgins issued the pleas in a New Jersey court room at a post-indictment arraignment, turning down a deal from prosecutors that would have resulted in a 35-year prison sentence. Last month, Higgins was indicted on two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident, and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence in the fatal incident.
The case will now move toward a trial and, as noted by Hailey Salvian of the New York Times, more evidence and details on the incident have been and will be exposed. Salvian writes in what may be new information for most people following the investigation:
“According to the brief, Higgins drove 1/10 of a mile down the road before his vehicle became inoperable due to significant damage from the crash. Higgins also admitted that he attempted to hide the beer cans after he struck the brothers.”
The parents and sisters of Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau were present at the arraignment on Tuesday and found out how Higgins kept driving and only stopped because of the damage to his car. And the fact that he attempted to hide evidence should also be discussed during the trial.
Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau were both killed after Higgins allegedly struck them down with his Jeep Grand Cherokee. The brothers were cycling on Country Route 551 in Oldmans Township, NJ when Higgins allegedly made an illegal pass and hit the brothers who were on the right side of the road. Higgins failed a sobriety test from police and admitted to drinking “five or six beers” prior to the crash. Higgins was arrested on site and has been housed at the Salem County Correctional Facility since his arrest in August. He has been deemed a flight risk and was ordered to remain in jail until the trial. Higgins is next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 4.
If convicted at trial, first-degree aggravated manslaughter charges could result in a lengthy prison sentence, with a maximum of 30 years on each count. Vehicular homicide carries a maximum of 10 years per count.
Higgins’ attorneys urged the public “to remember that our client is presumed innocent until proven guilty” following Tuesday’s hearing, adding: “We believe that the facts of this case will reveal that this tragedy was not the result of any malfeasance but rather a combination of uniquely unfortunate circumstances unlikely to ever occur again.”
The brothers were struck and killed by a drunk driver while riding bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on August 29, on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding, where both brothers were to be groomsmen.
Johnny was 31 years old at the time of his death, while Matthew was 29. Meredith Gaudreau is pregnant with the couple’s third child as the couple shared daughter Noa and son Johnny. Matthew Gaudreau’s wife, Madeline, gave birth to the the couple’s first child, a son named Tripp, who was born just over a week ago.
