A judge has reserved sentencing for a north Edmonton man charged with killing a B.C. teen in a crash last year.
Police say Travis Hurlbert, 18, was killed in July 2013 when his Volkswagen Passat was split in half after being hit by Derrick O’Connor’s speeding Dodge Avenger at the intersection of Manning Drive and 167th Avenue.
Court records show O’Connor had been previously convicted of impaired driving in 2006. In 2010, he was charged and fined three times for driving while disqualified.
He was charged again with driving while disqualified in May 2012 but failed to show up for his court date, prompting police to issue a warrant for his arrest.
On Monday, the court heard O’Connor was driving nearly three times the speed limit when he crashed into Hurlbert. He then tried to flee the scene but was chased down by civilians.
The Crown asked for a six-year sentence, arguing O’Connor appeared “remorseless,” and comparing his actions to “shooting a gun down a hallway while blindfolded,”
That sentence would include five years for dangerous driving causing death and an additional year for failure to remain at the scene.
The Crown said it would be willing to go along with 1.5 credit for time served, meaning O’Connor could be out in just over four years.
However, the defence argued for O’Connor to receive two years in jail followed by three years’ probation.
O’Connor is expected back in court for sentencing in November.
Victim was ‘going places’
Hurlbert’s family and friends filled the first three rows in the courtroom on Monday, many wearing t-shirts showing Travis Hurlbert’s face. On the back, the t-shirts read “When I close my eyes I see you … When I open my eyes I miss you.”
Outside the court, Trevor Hurlbert described his oldest son as a man going places. He had just moved to Edmonton from Castlegar, B.C., was doing well at work, and had bought himself a new car in preparation to drive to Vancouver for an acting audition.
“He would have been the first to drive Derrick O’Connor home,” Trevor Hurlbert said. “He didn’t drink, he didn’t do drugs. He had tons of goals in life and he wanted to make a change.”
Two days before he was killed, Travis Hurlbert drove back home to Castlegar to surprise his family and friends.
“He gave me a big ‘I love you buddy,’” recalled his father, miming his son’s bear hug. “At least I got that right before.”
Now, the Hurlbert family is asking other parents to speak to their children about drinking and driving.
“One bad decision can hurt a whole family,” he said. “Give your kids a hug before they go.”
Source:: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/derrick-o-connor-sentencing-pushed-back-1.2781716?cmp=rss
