PHILADELPHIA – The driver accused of killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, while they were bicycling on a rural New Jersey road pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday after rejecting an offer from prosecutors in 35 years in prison.
Sean M. Higgins, 44, appeared briefly in Salem County, New Jersey, court and formally pleaded guilty to the recent indictment in the Aug. 29 deaths. The case will now move forward to trial.
Defense attorneys, in a statement, said they hope to show that the deaths were not due to any “embezzlement” but rather “a combination of exceptionally unfortunate circumstances that are unlikely to occur again.”
They described Higgins as a combat veteran who has faith in the legal system.
Prosecutors say the married father of two, who worked for an addiction treatment company, had a history of road rage and was intoxicated that day after drinking five or six beers. He said he had been driving for two hours, sometimes talking on the phone with a friend, after a disturbing conversation with his mother.
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were killed near their childhood home in South Jersey on the eve of their sister’s wedding.
A driver in front of Higgins told police he had been driving aggressively. When she and another driver slowed down and headed left to go around the cyclists, Higgins accelerated and turned right, hitting the Gaudreaus, she said.
Higgins had a blood alcohol level of .087, which is above the state legal limit of .08, and failed a field sobriety test, police said.
He is being held on charges including two counts each of aggravated manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter, along with tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of an accident.
Defense attorney Matthew Portella called Higgins a loving father and good person who “made a horrible decision that night.”
Both Portella and county prosecutors confirmed the terms of the proposed agreement.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the NHL and was set to begin his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames.