Sean M. Higgins, the man accused of killing hockey stars Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau in 2024, has rejected a plea deal and his trial is set to go ahead in January 2027.
On Monday, October 19, Higgins, 45, formally declined to plead guilty to two counts of aggravated manslaughter and one count of first-offense DWI during a pre-trial hearing in Salem County, New Jersey, reported The Athletic. Prosecutors offered him the deal in exchange for a 28-year prison sentence.
Higgins, who has pleaded not guilty to six charges, including two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, now faces 91.5 years behind bars if he is found guilty of all the charges against him, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio informed him on Monday.
In addition to the two manslaughter charges, Higgins faces two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, one count of fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence and one count of second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident, per a December 2024 indictment viewed by Us.
How the Gaudreau Family Has Coped After Johnny and Matthew's Deaths
Prosecutors accused Higgins of being intoxicated and hitting brothers Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, with his vehicle while they were riding their bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on August 29, 2024. The brothers were killed just one day before their sister Katie’s wedding.
According to The Athletic, jury selection for Higgins’ trial will begin December 1, with opening statements set to commence on January 4, 2027.
Also on Monday, Higgins’ lawyer, Richard Klineburger, conceded that the plaintiff’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit at the time of the August 2024 incident after the defense conducted its own on Higgins’ blood.
The New York Post reported that Higgins’ legal team previously disputed the prosecution’s claim that Higgins’ blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.87 — above the 0.8 limit. They argued that Higgins’ blood alcohol level was, in fact, 0.75 and therefore below the legal limit.
Sean M. Higgins Courtesy of Salem County Sheriff's OfficeOn Monday, Klineburger said that the defense’s own test showed Higgins had a 0.8 blood alcohol level.
“It did come back, based upon the non-tainted tube, it came back as a .08, as opposed to .087,” Klineburg said.
Both Johnny and Matthew were expecting children with their respective wives, Meredith and Madeline, at the time of their deaths.
Meredith gave birth to son Carter Michael Gaudreau in April 2025, seven months after Johnny’s death. The couple also shared daughter Noa, 4, and son Johnny Jr., 2.
How the Gaudreaus Found Purpose Again After the Deaths of Johnny and Matthew
Madeline welcomed son Tripp in December 2024, just four months after Matthew’s death.
The siblings’ sister, Katie, 27, postponed her wedding to fiancé Devin Joyce by almost a year in the wake of their deaths. She and Joyce finally tied the knot in July 2025, welcoming son Matthew — named after her eldest brother — in June 2026.
“We didn’t just lose the boys that night. We lost the boys and my parents. Losing a child is something that nobody should ever have to go through,” Katie told Us in April 2026. “This is a tragedy that I would never wish on my worst enemy. Because of the support that we’ve gotten from everybody — not just in the United States and North America, but the people in different countries who have reached out — telling stories about the boys and the impact they’ve made, it really helped us to heal and to continue to heal.”
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