Five high school juniors died in a fiery crash involving a wrong-way driver on Saturday, October 8, in Williston, Vermont. They were on their way home from a concert.
The students, identified as Eli Brookens, 16, Janie Cozzi, 15, Liam Hale 16, Mary Harris, 16, and Cyrus Zschau, 16, were killed when a Toyota Tundra pickup truck driven by Steven Bourgoin collided head-on with their Volkswagen Jetta along Interstate 89. Bourgoin, 36, then stole a police cruiser that was responding to the horrific scene and slammed into seven more vehicles, police said. Bourgoin was thrown from the car, which burst into flames.
Bourgoin was listed in critical condition at a local hospital early Monday morning, but the Chittenden County State’s Attorney is moving forward with criminal charges, WCAX-TV reported. His bail is set at $1 million.
According to the Associated Press, Bourgoin was arrested in May for allegedly threatening to throw his girlfriend down the stairs and bash her head on the floor. When she tried to escape with their 2-year-old, he pulled a lanyard around her neck and said that he would “kill both of them before he let his child go.” Bourgoin was set to stand trial in November for domestic assault charges.
“When [Steven] gets in his moods, he does not think clearly, and has no regard for those around him, even loved ones,” the ex-girlfriend told police, per an affidavit obtained by Seven Days. “When Steven is in these moods, it is usually because he ran out of marijuana which he used to stabilize his mood swings,”
Per WCAX-TV, records show that Bourgoin was charged with DUI in 2002.
At least 1,000 people, including Governor Peter Shumlin, showed up for a candlelight vigil in honor of the five late teens Monday night at Harwood Union High School in South Duxbury, Vermont. “I know this is every parents’ worst nightmare,” Shumlin said. He added: “I’ve had the privilege of being governor for six years. And this is the saddest moment. It seems inconceivable that five beautiful Vermonters who were moving from childhood to adulthood with such grace and dignity were taken from us.”
