Man charged in deaths of Gaudreau brothers to go to trial in January

Sean Higgins, the man charged in the deaths of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, will go to trial at the start of the new year. Officials at a pretrial hearing say proceedings will begin during the first week of January in Salem County. Higgins is charged with aggravated manslaughter, reckless vehicular homicide and related offenses in connection with the 2024 crash that killed the Gaudreaus. Authorities say the brothers were on a bike ride near their Oldmans Township hometown on Aug. 29, the night before their sister's wedding, when Higgins struck them. Body camera footage shows him admitting to police he'd been drinking before the crash. Johnny was about to start his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, while younger brother Matthew was working as a high school coach. (photo credit: Salem County Correctional Facility)