Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s assailant Sean Higgins pleads not guilty in drunken crash incident

Sean Higgins pleaded not guilty in court for running over Johnny Gaudreau and his brother leading to their deaths.

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s assailant Sean Higgins pleads not guilty in drunken crash incident

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau [Image Credit: ABC News]

NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau’s assailant Sean Higgins pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday. The drunken crash accident has been the talk of the NHL world as both players were widely loved by the fans both on and off the ice.

The incident took place in Salem County where the alleged 43-year-old has been behind bars on multiple charges. He was indicted with two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, one count of leaving the scene, and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

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The heartbreaking incident took place in August when both brothers were riding their bikes prior to their sister’s wedding night. With all the charges, Sean Higgins would’ve been behind bars for at least 35 years, serving 85% of the sentence as per prosecutors on Tuesday.

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However, as he denied being at fault he’ll be facing more than 60 years in prison if convicted. Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew’s father Guy Gaudreau were present in the court for the hearing along with the rest of their family.

Sean Higgins admits being intoxicated during drunken drive accident

According to reports, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were biking in Oldsman Township at 8 p.m. on 29 August when the incident happened. Sean Higgins made an attempt to pass a car which led to the brother’s death before their sister’s wedding night.

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau passed away
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau passed away [Image Credit: WHYY]

Furthermore, Higgins refused to stop and passed another car before finally pulling over about 1/10 mile from the accident spot. Two drivers stopped to call 911 in an attempt to help the Gaudreau brothers at the time of the accident.

Sean Higgins later admitted to being drunk prior to driving which influenced his rash decision. He said he had five to six beers after his workday and two more before the crash. The New Jersey State Police said that his statements were misaligned and contradicted the other drivers.

I get impatient, I had beer in my system, now my life is ruined … That’s literally what this is all about. My impatience and my reckless driving.

Sean Higgins as per Ximena Conde of Inquirer.com.
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Even Higgins’ alcohol content came to 0.087, a little over the set range. This is not the first time he has been convicted of a crime. Apparently, there have been multiple reports in the past of his drunken driving behavior and anger issues.