Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s funeral will be held next Monday at a church in suburban Philadelphia, while the driver who mowed them down remains behind bars awaiting his next court appearance.
The Gaudreau brothers’ ceremony is scheduled to take place at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania. The Columbus Blue Jackets, for which the man nicknamed “Johnny Hockey” played, said they will livestream it on their website.
The Gaudreau brothers died last week after being struck by a drunk driver while riding their bikes along the side of a road in their home state of New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.
The defendant in this case, Sean M. Higgins, participated in a videoconference hearing last Thursday. The judge postponed his appearance until September 13 to allow the lawyers to adequately prepare.
Higgins, 43, is being held in the Salem County Jail. He faces two counts of reckless driving causing death, possession of an open container of alcohol and consuming alcohol while operating a motor vehicle.
Attorneys Matthew Portella and Richard Klineburger III said Higgins had retained them to represent him.
“This is a tragedy that has shaken many people,” they admitted in a statement. “It is still too early in the legal process to make any comments on this matter.”
Many hockey figures from Columbus, South Jersey and Boston College, where the Gaudreau brothers played, are expected to accompany relatives and family to the funeral. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell has already indicated the team will be there, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also plans to be there.