Time has been extended to charge the suspected driver in Gaudreau’s death

Sean Higgins is charged in the deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother

Prosecutors have asked for 30 days to file formal charges against Higgins

The Gaudreau family was in the courtroom for the brief hearing

The driver accused of killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they cycled on a rural New Jersey road made a brief appearance in court Tuesday, where the judge gave prosecutors time to file charges. to submit.

The brief hearing, in which the judge gave prosecutors an additional 30 days to file formal charges the death of the Gaudreaus on August 29, It was the first time the Gaudreau family and the 44-year-old defendant, Sean M. Higgins, faced each other in court. Previously, Higgins appeared at hearings via video from behind bars.

Authorities say Higgins, who is from Woodstown, became impaired after drinking five or six beers the day he crashed into the brothers’ bikes, and that he has a history of road rage and aggressive driving.

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Driver: Higgins was driving aggressively

Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were murdered near their family home in South Jersey on the eve of their sister’s wedding. The family, including their father, Gus Gaudreau, declined to comment on the case Tuesday at the Salem County Courthouse.

Higgins told police that on the day of his arrest, he had driven around for two hours while talking to a friend on the phone after having a disturbing conversation with his mother.

A driver driving in front of Higgins told police that Higgins had been driving aggressively. When she and the vehicle in front of her slowed and turned left to avoid the cyclists, Higgins accelerated and turned right, hitting the Gaudreaus, she said.

Higgins had a blood-alcohol level of 0.087, which is above the state’s legal limit of 0.08, and he failed a sobriety test, police said. He faces preliminary charges of two counts of vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving, possession of an open container and consumption of alcohol in a vehicle.

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A good person who made a bad decision

Higgins faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of any of the death by car counts. The judge said that made him a flight risk and ordered him jailed until trial.

Defense attorney Matthew Portella has called Higgins “a loving father of two daughters” and a good person who “made a terrible decision that night.” Portella declined to comment after Tuesday’s hearing.

Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played ten full seasons in the NHL and was set to enter his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames.

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