Confessions by the man accused of killing Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau while driving drunk in New Jersey can be admitted at his trial, a judge ruled Monday.
Lawyers for Sean Higgins, 44, had argued that because Higgins had not been read his Miranda rights, his early statements including “I hit ‘em, I hit ‘em, I hit ‘em” and “Obviously, I had alcohol in my system” should not be admissible at trial.
Instagram / Katie Gaudreau
Katie Gaudreau with her brothers, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were fatally struck by a suspected drunk driver. (Instagram / Katie Gaudreau)
But Judge Michael Silvanio sided with prosecutors to conclude Monday’s hearing, ruling that all of Higgins’ statements in the immediate aftermath of the crash could be heard by jurors, according to NJ.com.
New Jersey State Troopers responding to the Aug. 29, 2024, wreck on a rural road in Oldmans began asking Higgins standard questions in the wake of a fatal car crash, prosecutors argued. Higgins’ responses were recorded on their body-cameras.
The cops said during the conversation, Higgins admitted to drinking, they smelled alcohol on his breath and he failed a field sobriety test. After the failed test, officers read him his Miranda rights.
Higgins’ lawyers said cops had already established probable cause from interactions with other witnesses and observations at the scene, and therefore they should’ve read Higgins his rights before any conversation. However, the judge disagreed.
Last December, Higgins was charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide. He has pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea deal that would’ve recommended a 35-year prison sentence.
Monday’s ruling was the latest setback in Higgins’ defense. Earlier this year, his attorneys tried to have some of the charges dropped on the basis that the Gaudreau brothers were also drunk while biking on the rural road. Silvanio rejected that argument too.
