Aug 30, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; A makeshift memorial grows outside Nationwide Arena for Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed in a bicycle accident the night before. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY Network
Sean Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew last August while they were bicycling on a road near the family home in Salem County, N.J., plead not guilty at an arraignment hearing on Tuesday.
Higgins, 44, made an appearance in Salem County court and plead not guilty to two counts each of aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide. He was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident and evidence tampering.
Prior to Tuesday's hearing, Higgins turned down a plea deal offered by prosecutors that would have resulted in 30 years jail time, with a requirement to serve 85 percent under the No Early Release Act, with an additional five years with no minimum, Higgins' attorney, Matthew Portella, told Philly Daily.
The case will now move forth to a trial.
NJ police release bodycam footage arresting Sean Higgins after fatal accident killed NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother https://t.co/VH8lk5kVJp pic.twitter.com/59hDys85lE
— New York Post (@nypost) December 7, 2024
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, at the time a player for the Columbus Blue Jackets and formerly the Calgary Flames, and his younger brother Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were cycling together on Aug. 29, the night before their sister's wedding.
Higgins, of nearby Woodstown, N.J., who police say has a history of road rage, was driving aggressively and was trying to get around two cars that were in front of him on the roadway.
One of the drivers told police that she and another driver slowed down and moved left to go around the Gaudreau brothers, but Higgins sped up to pass them and moved right, killing both cyclists.
Higgins failed a field sobriety test and had a blood alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in the state of New Jersey. He told police he had five or six beers earlier in the day but had been driving around for two hours after an emotional conversation with his mother. He said he was intermittently on the phone as well.
