Trial date set for man accused of killing Johnny, Matthew Gaudreau in crash, tell me about this news in (https://www.whio.com/news/local/trial-date-set-man-accused-killing-johnny-matthew-gaudreau-crash/WOZPORBZ6JBSNJKWYMPJVDRKHU/)
12-09-2026
A Salem County, New Jersey judge has scheduled the trial for Sean Higgins, the man accused of striking and killing NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau.Key details reported in the article include:
- Trial Schedule: Jury selection is scheduled to begin on December 1, 2026, with the trial officially set to start on January 5, 2027. Higgins has an upcoming court appearance scheduled for October 19.
- Criminal Charges: Higgins faces multiple charges, including reckless vehicular homicide, aggravated manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He pleaded not guilty in January 2025.
- Crash Details: According to investigators, a driver ahead of Higgins reported that he was driving aggressively. When that driver slowed down and moved left to pass the Gaudreau brothers on their bicycles, Higgins accelerated and veered to the right, fatally striking them.
- Legal Arguments: Defense attorneys have challenged the accuracy of Higgins’ blood alcohol testing, claiming it was 0.075 rather than the 0.087 presented to the grand jury, in an effort to have charges dismissed or retried. Previously, in 2025, a judge rejected defense arguments attempting to attribute fault to the victims.
- Background: Johnny Gaudreau spent 10 full seasons in the NHL, playing eight seasons with the Calgary Flames and two with the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to his death.