PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An appellate judge delivered a major setback on Thursday to the driver accused of hitting and killing the Gaudreau brothers in August 2024.
The judge ruled that statements Sean Higgins made to police after the Salem County crash will be allowed to be used at trial. Higgins, heard on police body cam video, admitted that he had “five or six” beers before the crash.
Higgins’ lawyers had tried to argue that police did not properly read him his Miranda rights at the scene, so his confession should not be used at trial. The judge ultimately disagreed.
Higgins is charged in the deaths of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, who were riding bikes when they were fatally struck. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated manslaughter and reckless vehicular homicide.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 24.