The New Jersey man charged in the alleged drunken-driving crash that killed NHL standout Johnny Gaudreau and his brother is expected to face a jury early next year unless a plea agreement is reached first, a judge said Friday.
Sean Higgins, a 45-year-old Army veteran, is scheduled for trial beginning Jan. 5 if his defense team and prosecutors do not finalize a deal by his next court appearance on Oct. 19, Judge Michael Silvanio said in Salem County court. Higgins appeared for the hearing from jail via video link.
“In the event that we do not reach a resolution at that final [pre-trial conference], my anticipation is to bring counsel in for jury selection on Dec. 1,” Silvanio said as Higgins, dressed in orange jail-issued clothing, watched remotely.
Silvanio said attorneys for both sides would be given as long as two weeks to choose 16 jurors. Once selected, the panel would be sent home through the holiday period before testimony and courtroom proceedings begin in January.
The trial date would fall nearly two and a half years after the deaths of Gaudreau, 31, and his younger brother, 29-year-old Matthew Gaudreau, who also played professional hockey. Authorities allege the brothers were hit by Higgins’ vehicle while riding bicycles along the side of a road in Oldmans Township on the night of Aug. 29, 2024.
The Gaudreau brothers, both fathers, had been returning from a rehearsal dinner for their sister’s wedding, which had been planned for the following day.
Prosecutors say Higgins struck the siblings after passing another vehicle on the roadway. They allege his blood-alcohol level was .087 at the time, slightly above New Jersey’s legal limit of .08.
Higgins’ attorneys have twice tried unsuccessfully to have the case dismissed. One effort argued the Gaudreau brothers were allegedly more intoxicated than Higgins when the crash happened, while another challenged the state’s claim that Higgins was over the legal limit.
During Friday’s hearing, defense attorney Matthew Portella said a laboratory was expected to receive vials of Higgins’ blood from prosecutors, allowing the defense to conduct independent testing to assess his alleged level of intoxication on the night of the fatal crash.
Higgins has entered not guilty pleas to charges including aggravated manslaughter, reckless vehicular homicide, tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 72 years in prison.
