Brothers Gaudreau: the accused refuses a 35-year prison sentence.

Dose
Crédit: RALEIGH, NC - APRIL 07: Johnny Gaudreau #13 de los Columbus Blue Jackets observa durante los calentamientos del juego contra los Carolina Hurricanes en PNC Arena el 07 de abril de 2024 en Raleigh, Carolina del Norte. (Foto de Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)

Last summer, the death of the Gaudreau brothers shocked the entire hockey community. The two men, who were gathered for their sister’s wedding, were fatally struck while riding their bikes.

Learning that the truck driver was intoxicated only increased the frustration associated with this situation that could have truly been avoided.

That said, since the incident, the judicial process has been ongoing… and this morning, the accused in the case, Sean Higgins, appeared for five minutes.

During this appearance, he was offered to plead guilty and accept a 35-year prison sentence… but he refused to do so.

He pleaded not guilty, so the case will go to trial.

It should be noted that if he is found guilty on all counts in the case, Higgins faces up to 60 years in prison. In fact, he could face 30 years for each of the murders, so he could receive up to 60 years that way.

Obviously, by refusing this morning’s offer, one might think it’s because he believes, based on his lawyers’ advice, that he can obtain a more lenient sentence. The defendant’s attorneys have already announced that they intend to try to drop some of the charges in the case.

So we can expect quite a complex trial.

It is also worth noting that the accused will be back in court on February 4. The case will therefore continue… and we can think that we will need to be patient before a verdict is announced.

So this will be something to follow, but it continues to progress in this sad case.

In Brief

– It set the Bell Centre on fire right from the start of the game.

– Jakub Dobes has the potential to be a future #1, believes Stéphane Waite.

– A nice gesture from the Canadiens’ goalie.

– Lane Hutson’s performance yesterday continues to generate buzz.

– Another point for Oliver Kapanen today.