COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – On the night the Columbus Blue Jackets prepare for the 2024 season home opener at Nationwide Arena, the man accused of killing a member of the team and his brother had a court date postponed.
Sean Higgins, of Woodstown, N.J., was scheduled to appear in Salem County Superior Court Tuesday for a preindictment conference in connection with the deaths of Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.
A pre-indictment conference is a meeting that takes place before a case is presented to a grand jury where the prosecutor and defendant discuss the charges and potential plea deals. The conference typically includes evidentiary reviews by the prosecution, a possible plea offer, and thus, a resolution to the case before it heads to trial.
If an agreement cannot be reached, the case goes before a grand jury for an indictment hearing, at which time, official charges could be filed against Higgins, who is facing two counts of vehicular manslaughter.
In a September detention hearing, Higgins was remanded after a Salem County judge ruled he would remain in custody without bond. Attorneys stated Higgins’ blood alcohol level was 0.87 and that he had been drinking in the car when he reportedly killed Johnny and Matthew, who were run over while riding bicycles on County Road 551 near Salem, New Jersey.
Police said Higgins tried to maneuver around an SUV, which had attempted to pass the Gaudreau bothers safely on the right side of the road, before striking and killing both.
Higgins told police he did not see the cyclists. Judge Michael Silvanio said this was an indication of his reckless and road-rage behavior, which was documented in statements made by Higgins’ wife and witnesses at the scene.
Higgins, who remained at the scene, admitted he consumed approximately five or six beers before the crash. He then failed a series of standardized field sobriety tests.
Higgins, who worked at a drug and alcohol treatment center and is listed as a major with the New Jersey National Guard, is now scheduled to appear in court for the preindictment conference on Nov. 12.
The maximum sentence for two counts of vehicular manslaughter is 20 years in prison.
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, are set to honor Johnny and Matthew at tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena. The tribute is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Johnny and Matthew, who were in southern New Jersey for the wedding of their sister, Katie, were laid to rest on Sept. 9 in Philadelphia. The entire Blue Jackets program was in attendance and memorial tributes for the brothers have been widespread throughout central Ohio, at their alma mater in Boston College and in Calgary, where Johnny played for eight seasons before joining the CBJ.
Johnny’s wife Meredith revealed at the memorial service that the family is expecting a third child, due in five months.
