The man charged with killing Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau in a drunk-driving incident has a history of acting erratically behind the wheel, according to his wife.
During a virtual court appearance on Friday, October 11, First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn recalled a jailhouse phone conversation between accused murderer Sean M. Higgins and Higgins’ wife in which she said, “You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me.”
Flynn added, “The wife was very upset with him, ‘I told you before not to do that stuff. You don’t listen. I’m done.’”
Higgins is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle in relation to the August 29 incident, when he struck and killed Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, while they were riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
During the hearing, Flynn explained that Higgins had recently begun working from home, which his wife said had an “adverse effect on him.”
“Specifically, he has taken to drinking regularly,” Flynn added.
On the night of Johnny and Matthew’s deaths, Flynn said Higgins had “a conversation with his mother about a family matter that upsets him. He then gets into the Jeep that was involved with the accident.”
Immediately after the incident, Higgins — whose blood alcohol level was .087, over the legal limit of .08 — admitted to law enforcement that he had consumed “five to six beers” and was drinking behind the wheel.
Higgins’ defense attorney Matthew Portella attempted to paint a sympathetic image of his client during the hearing.
“He’s an empathetic individual, and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” Portella said. “He’s a good person, and he made a horrible decision that night.”
After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Michael Silvanio denied Higgins’ release.
“There’s an abundance of evidence that the defendant not only operated his vehicle while impaired, but he did so in not just an aggressive manner, but in an overly aggressive manner,” Silvanio said. “Motor vehicles are clearly dangerous instrumentalities, and they can and do, in many cases, become lethal.”
He added, “Especially when one operates not only under the influence but in what apparently was an aggressive manner, operating at an excessive rate of speed and by the defendant’s own admission consuming several beers prior to operating the vehicle, apparently even during his operation of the motor vehicle.”
Higgins’ next court date is scheduled for Tuesday, October 15.
