New Jersey Judge Keeps 2 Gaudreau Crash Death Cases Against Sean Higgins Over 0.087% BAC
Updated
Updated · WPVI-TV · May 11
New Jersey Judge Keeps 2 Gaudreau Crash Death Cases Against Sean Higgins Over 0.087% BAC
14 articles · Updated · WPVI-TV · May 11
Judge Michael Silvanio refused Monday to dismiss charges against Sean Higgins, leaving intact the indictment over the 2024 crash that killed Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.
A 0.087% hospital blood-alcohol reading sat at the center of the challenge: defense lawyers said the sample was mishandled and the grand jury was not clearly told how that result was calculated, while prosecutors said the evidence was presented accurately.
Silvanio ruled prosecutors did not intentionally mislead the grand jury. Higgins still faces two counts each of reckless vehicular homicide, aggravated manslaughter, evidence tampering and leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
Authorities say Higgins had been drinking and driving aggressively when he sped around slower vehicles and struck the brothers as they bicycled in August 2024; he previously rejected a 35-year plea deal and could face up to 70 years if convicted on all counts.
The next pretrial hearing is set for June 16, extending a case that has already survived earlier defense efforts to throw out charges.
Could a disputed blood test, not witness testimony, ultimately decide the fate of the man accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau?
He rejected a 35-year plea deal. Was challenging the evidence a path to freedom or a much longer prison sentence?