A sentencing hearing began on Monday in Cranbrook, B.C., for a woman who pleaded guilty in a deadly drunk-driving crash in July 2024.
Haley Jade Watson was facing three counts of impaired driving causing death and three counts of dangerous driving causing death in the July 9, 2024, collision.
Jackson Freeman, 25, from Sherwood Park, Alta., Gavin Murray, 21, of Wilmer, B.C., and Brady Tardif, 25, from Calgary, died when the truck they were riding in went off the highway and down an embankment on Westside Road near Panorama Drive in Wilmer near Invermere.
A coroners report states that the truck was travelling at more than 115 km/h in a 60 km/h zone when it failed to navigate a curve in the road.
Police said speed and intoxication were factors in the crash, which left a Toyota Tundra a flattened wreck.
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“We will never get Brady back, we’ll never get Jackson back and we’ll never get Gavin back,” Tardif’s sister Aniessa Bowen said on Monday.
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Amanda Murray, Gavin’s mother, said her son will never know his future nieces and nephews. “They will only know him through the stories we will tell,” she said.
“That in and of itself feels like a crime against my grandchildren as well as my daughters.”
Gavin’s grandmother, Sharon, said it is still hard to believe her grandson is gone.
“The family tree has lost an important branch, severed and lost, an important part of our descendants,” she said.
The Crown is seeking five years in prison for Watson and an eight-year driving ban.
Crown told the court that Watson had a blood alcohol content of 168 mg, which is more than double the legal limit. As a new driver, Watson was not allowed to have any alcohol in her system.
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The Crown noted that Watson has no prior criminal or driving record.
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The defence is asking for a conditional sentence to be served in the community, followed by probation. They said Watson is now on a path to recovery and regularly attends AA meetings.
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Watson’s lawyer said she attempted suicide following the collision and has not driven since.
Her 13-year-old sister read a letter to the court on Monday, saying her sister is “terribly sorry” and “lives with PTSD and survivor’s guilt,” adding that she wants her sister to “get house arrest.”
Sentencing submissions will continue on Wednesday and a decision is expected in January.
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