Sean Higgins' attorneys files a motion to dismiss charges- Claims the Gaudreau brothers were more intoxicated than Sean Higgins was.

[General Fanager]

Seems to me that they were drinking and did the right thing by not driving.....Mr Higgins should have done the same.

 

[Schennanigans]

Imagine being a lawyer and representing this scum bag.

 

[LaCarriere]

Biking at night with a 0.13 BAC is absolutely not a "responsible thing to do".

I really think people are missing the point of what the lawyer here is arguing. The argument being made is that there was evidence withheld that could have at least partially lessened the responsibility he has for the accident, which is a basis for dismissing the case.

He objectively drunk drove and killed the Gaudreau brothers, but if the Gaudreaus were drunk while biking and causing a hazardous situation, his crime/sentencing would be lighter due to that factor. If that factor was withheld, that is an absolutely legitimate case to bring up.

Cant believe it took until the 32nd post for someone to realize this.

Evidence, including the drivers BAC was presented to a grand jury which lead to his indictment, but not the BAC of the Gaudreaus? As horrible as DD is, if the Gaudreaus BAC was that high it's a relevant piece of information for the defense to know for their defense strategy.

Would it have changed the grand jury's outcome? I'm going to say probably not, but if the prosecution has that information at the time of indictment, they have a legal responsibility for disclosure/discovery to his defense team, because unfortunately, it does have some relevance to the case.

It's stupid legal mistakes like this why bad people sometimes walk free. This is why the defense is likely asking how the BAC evidence of the Gaudreaus was collected, and when it became known by the coroner, prosecution, etc. This isn't so much the defense team saying Higgins isn't responsible, or that the Gaudreaus are at fault. It's questioning if the prosecution was withholding information that may be relevant to the defense team, and withheld information until after he was indicted

 

[LaCarriere]

How the f*** would he know if they were intoxicated??

Did he roll down his window and ask them before he plowed into them??

Moron.

Easy. An autopsy would be done in order to determine cause of death. Look up when an autopsies are done in NJ, and you'll understand why.

Part of an autopsy would have been blood tests, to see if the Gaudreaus had any drugs/alcohol, etc in their system, because their death is part of a criminal investigation and that information is relevant to that investigation.

If the prosecution withheld information from the defense for whatever reason (wanted to nail this guy, wanted to protect the Gaudreaus reputation, didn't think their BAC was relevant, or whatever their motivation), that's a potentially huge failure of discovery of evidence.

Also to anyone saying the Gaudreaus BAC isn't relevant, ...if the prosecution had this information before the indictment (they had Higgins BAC), so they probably had the Gaudreaus. They have a legal responsibility to share that information. It's not up to the prosecution decide what information is or isn't relevant before going infront of a grand jury... That's the courts and grand jurys job. To decide what is relevant, and if there's enough evidence to go to a trial.

 

[LaCarriere]

It seems unlikely that the DA intentionally withheld it from the grand jury knowing it could be exculpatory. More likely is that they didn’t believe it was exculpatory and thus didn’t think they needed to present it or because it wasn’t viewed as exculpatory they simply forgot to include it in their materials like a billion other irrelevant facts that a grand jury never sees.

It isn't the prosecutions job to decide what is/isn't relevant, or what may/may not be viewed as exculpatory prior to indictment.

That's sort of the courts/jury's job. Now if a judge rules that it was relevant, and withheld, this guy could possibly get off on a legal technicality.

An autopsy would have been performed on the Gaudreaus due to the circumstances of their death, and the criminal investigation, and I find it hard to believe that the prosecution wouldnt have had the full results before going infront of a grand jury.

 

[Jumptheshark]

It isn't the prosecutions job to decide what is/isn't relevant, or what may/may not be viewed as exculpatory prior to indictment.

That's sort of the courts/jury's job. Now if a judge rules that it was relevant, and withheld, this guy could possibly get off on a legal technicality.

An autopsy would have been performed on the Gaudreaus due to the circumstances of their death, and the criminal investigation, and I find it hard to believe that the prosecution wouldnt have had the full results before going infront of a grand jury.

That is one reason why some people believe that the prosecution ran quickly through things in hope of getting the guy to cut a deal

 

[swiftwin]

I'm absolutely appaled with the victim blaming in this thread.

The Gaudreaus did nothing wrong.

Higgins was a road raging piece of shit who swerved across the road to undertake another car that was giving the Gaudreaus a wide pass.

 

[BruinsFan37]

Seems to me that they were drinking and did the right thing by not driving.....Mr Higgins should have done the same.

The right thing (for everyone) would have been to call a damn cab/uber.

It somehow makes the whole thing even more tragic. Two brothers, drunk after attending their sisters wedding recital, get the "brilliant" idea to ride bikes to wherever they were going (back to the hotel/house/whatever) because they realized were drunk -- and get killed by a drunk driver.

The lawyer is just doing their job, I don't fault them at all. HIggins still should serve time though.

 

[Reality Czech]

Lawyers will latch onto anything they possibly can for their clients, this isn't really surprising.

Considering that's literally their job, no it isn't surprising

 

[CanadasTeam99]

I could be wrong but I do not believe its a crime to ride a bicycle while intoxicated in NJ

edit: apparently it is illegal

It a crime in lots of places

You can be in your driveway sitting on the hood of your car with beers and be charged. No keys in the car

You could be hammered and going into a car to get a jacket. If a cops right there he can charge you if he wants

 

[tarheelhockey]

Imagine the nerve of this ****ing idiot - and his legal team, no doubt - to actually try and shame two people who were in the process of doing the responsible thing and NOT DRIVING after a night of drinking.

Ehhhh, I wouldn’t call cycling drunk on a rural road at twilight “doing the responsible thing”. It’s actually pretty damned irresponsible and puts themselves as well as others in unnecessary danger.

That said, it has no bearing on the responsibility of a drunk driver who was acting as a completely independent variable. I get that defense attorneys are paid to do this stuff, but it still comes off as scummy.

 

[Three On Zero]

I could be wrong but I do not believe its a crime to ride a bicycle while intoxicated in NJ

edit: apparently it is illegal

Unfortunately, you can still be severely injured in a bicycle accident caused by alcohol impairment. However, there is no specific criminal offense for DUI on a bicycle in New Jersey. If you are in an accident while riding a bicycle and are found to be intoxicated, you may be charged with DUI in some jurisdictions.Jun 10, 2024

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

I'm absolutely appaled with the victim blaming in this thread.

The Gaudreaus did nothing wrong.

Higgins was a road raging piece of shit who swerved across the road to undertake another car that was giving the Gaudreaus a wide pass.

If they were intoxicated (big if) then yes they did something wrong and would be a big contributing factor to the incident.

 

[Three On Zero]

If they were intoxicated (big if) then yes they did something wrong and would be a big contributing factor to the incident.

How so? Unless they were swerving in and out of the road on their bikes, there is no way that they were a “big” contributing factor.

If it walking home from the bar and get hit by a drunk driver, does that make me a contributing factor to the accident because I was drinking?

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Even if that's true, and I don't know it might be.

But even if it is does it matter? They didn't kill anyone.

They are both dead because of this piece of shit.

 

[Hanji]

I really question how defense attorneys sleep at night.

Filing shit like this to try to get clients they know are guilty as f*** out of facing the music. And knowing that sometimes they succeed.

Defense attorneys protect our legal rights.

Our rights have value only when protected and applied to our least defendable citizens.
When the rule of law applies equally to all, our society is the winner.

 

[Hanji]

"Police and prosecutors cut corners" is one hell of a way to justify getting off shitheads who you know are guilty.

No it’s not. Holding the police and prosecutors to the highest standards of conduct is essential to a transparent and ethical judicial system.
Procedure is paramount.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

No it’s not. Holding the police and prosecutors to the highest standards of conduct is essential to a transparent and ethical judicial system.
Procedure is paramount.

Yeah bro. I'd rather catch a cop cutting corners than convict the dude that killed two people.

Nevermind that in this particular filing, the procedure isn't being questioned. It's a petty attempt to get out of trouble because the victims were also drunk.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

"Within the rules" includes neither lying nor manipulation. So you didn't fix anything. You are just angry.

And listen, it's clear you don't like the US legal system. That's your right. You are allowed to be angry. But throwing a tantrum on a message board won't fix it. If you want to help fix it, work to elect better local officials.

Defense attorneys never lie. Criminals don't either.

 

[Hanji]

Yeah bro. I'd rather catch a cop cutting corners than convict the dude that killed two people.

Nevermind that in this particular filing, the procedure isn't being questioned. It's a petty attempt to get out of trouble because the victims were also drunk.

Procedure is being questioned in this case.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

Procedure is being questioned in this case.

It's not in being questioned in the particular filing regarding the Gaudreaus being more intoxicated, which is kinda what this whole thread is about.

It's a scumbag move, period.

 

[hatterson]

It isn't the prosecutions job to decide what is/isn't relevant, or what may/may not be viewed as exculpatory prior to indictment.

That's sort of the courts/jury's job. Now if a judge rules that it was relevant, and withheld, this guy could possibly get off on a legal technicality.

An autopsy would have been performed on the Gaudreaus due to the circumstances of their death, and the criminal investigation, and I find it hard to believe that the prosecution wouldnt have had the full results before going infront of a grand jury.

I agree it’s a big error if they screwed this up, but the state makes decisions about what to present to the grand jury all the time. There’s a million things that turn up as part of the investigation that just aren’t relevant to the case.

My assumption is that the DAs office was rushing because of the publicity of the case and and the BAC results of the victims weren’t dumped into the “potentially relevant” pile because of a mistake as opposed to willful negligence.

 

[Hanji]

It's not in being questioned in the particular filing regarding the Gaudreaus being more intoxicated, which is kinda what this whole thread is about.

It's a scumbag move, period.

Yea it is.
“On failure to present exculpatory evidence to the grand jury as well as failure to present a prima facie case.”

If the prosecution failed to present evidence the brothers were drunk to the grand jury, it’s could be a monumental ****-up.

 

[Opus]

Well that's 'ticky tacky'...

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

Yea it is.
“On failure to present exculpatory evidence to the grand jury as well as failure to present a prima facie case.”

If the prosecution failed to present evidence the brothers were drunk to the grand jury, it’s could be a monumental ****-up.

Doesn't really matter if they were drunk or not. The only person operating a vehicle was drunk and killed both of them.

Tell me more about how them being drunk on bicycles would absolve Higgins being drunk in a vehicle, speeding past multiple other cars, and running them over, though.