{"id":8020,"date":"2026-05-03T13:10:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T13:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=8020"},"modified":"2026-05-03T13:10:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T13:10:50","slug":"how-botched-blood-alcohol-test-in-johnny-gaudreau-case-could-be-a-big-problem-for-prosecutors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=8020","title":{"rendered":"How botched blood alcohol test in Johnny Gaudreau case could be a big problem for prosecutors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script 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{}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Prosecutors appear to have botched the blood-alcohol test for the New Jersey man accused of drunkenly mowing down NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, experts told The Post.<\/p>\n<p>Sean Higgins wants the criminal charges against him tossed on the grounds a bad blood-alcohol content (BAC) test wrongly pegged him at .087 \u2014 above the legal limit of .08 \u2014 when he was actually at .075, his lawyer claimed.<\/p>\n<p>New Jersey legal experts said there is merit to Higgins\u2019 arguments that the blood test is likely to be a major factor at trial.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The prosecution of Sean Higgins messed up his blood-alcohol test, experts said. <span class=\"credit\">New Jersey State Police<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At issue, prosecutors ran the blood test on Higgins\u2019 blood plasma, which showed him over the limit after the fatal crash, his lawyers claimed.<\/p>\n<p>However, Higgins\u2019 team hired a toxicology expert who found his BAC was actually below the legal limit when adjusting for the false increase plasma tests yield, according to Higgins\u2019 lawyer.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Anthony Vecchio, a Woodbridge, NJ-based lawyer who specializes in DUI cases, said \u201cthey are supposed to test whole blood,\u201d because a plasma test can show BAC that is artificially higher. <\/p>\n<p>Another Garden State lawyer, Donny Epstein, called the prosecution\u2019s use of blood plasma \u201ca head scratcher.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re left with the question, why did they do it this way,\u201d Epstein said.<\/p>\n<p>Salem County prosecutor Michael Mestern downplayed the defense claim that the BAC test was problematic, saying his office would \u201crefute\u201d the findings of Higgins\u2019 toxicology expert \u2014 and said it should be up to a jury to decide if the test is valid or not.<\/p>\n<p>Mestern also claimed his office had plenty of other damning evidence with which to convict Higgins.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>NHL hockey players and brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were killed when Sean Higgins allegedly hit them with his car. <span class=\"credit\">Katie Gaudreau\/Facebook<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The charges are two counts of reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal accident and tampering with physical evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Higgins faces 72 years behind bars if convicted on all counts for the Aug. 29, 2024 crash that left Johnny, 31, and his 29-year-old brother Matthew dead as they were cycling on the side of the road in Oldmans Township \u2014 across the Delaware River from Wilmington \u2014 after their sister\u2019s wedding rehearsal dinner.<\/p>\n<p>While the experts agreed the BAC test should have been done using whole blood, they didn\u2019t think a judge would throw the whole case out. <\/p>\n<p>But Higgins\u2019 side has a chance of blocking the blood evidence from trial, they said.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Bruno \u2014 a Rutherford-based defense attorney \u2014 said Higgins\u2019 toxicology expert, Gary Lage, is \u201cvery well respected\u201d and noted his own firm, Bruno and Ferraro, regularly employs Lage for cases.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The brothers were both married with kids when they died in August 2024. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIf they used plasma, a good criminal defense attorney would argue that the testing procedures were not followed appropriately and that\u2019s exactly what is happening here,\u201d Bruno said. <\/p>\n<p>Still, \u201cit may not be a fatal and critical flaw because there are other ways the state can proceed even if the blood reading itself \u2013 and this would be a big win for the defense \u2013 were to be kept out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if you don\u2019t have scientific data to speak to intoxication, the state can rely on physical observation and field sobriety tests,\u201d Bruno said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this case there were witnesses who are able to speak to his physical manifestations of intoxication.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vecchio agreed that \u201ceven if the blood got thrown out tomorrow, that\u2019s definitely not going to get the case thrown out.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The brothers were cycling on the side of the road when they were hit. <span class=\"credit\">Suchat Pederson\/New York Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In general, motions to dismiss indictments \u201care a long shot\u201d but a defense lawyer might use the legal maneuver \u201cfor leverage because if they have teeth, sometimes it\u2019s an invitation for better kinds of plea negotiations,\u201d Bruno said.<\/p>\n<p>But plea deals can be harder to reach in a \u201ctragic,\u201d high-profile, fatal crash where prosecutors have the impossible task of doing the \u201cmath\u201d to come up with a penalty offer that amounts to the \u201cvalue of this person\u2019s life,\u201d Bruno said.<\/p>\n<p>Higgins turned down an offer for 35 years from prosecutors in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Mestern said in the Friday papers that the prosecution could still clinch a conviction without the blood evidence because of other evidence \u2014 like Higgins admitting on police body camera footage at the scene that he\u2019d had five to six drinks that day and because he was also captured on video allegedly failing field sobriety tests.<\/p>\n<p>But if the jury wasn\u2019t convinced Higgins was drunk, the case would be much harder to win since proving the element of \u201cextreme indifference to human life\u201d as part of the charge of manslaughter or the element of recklessness as part of the vehicular homicide charge likely hinge on intoxication.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The brothers were in Oldsman Township in New Jersey for their sister\u2019s wedding which was scheduled for the next day. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram \/ @mattygaudreau11<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIf you strip out intoxication, I think it would be very difficult to prove the aggravated manslaughter with these facts,\u201d Vecchio said.<\/p>\n<p>Still, \u201cjuries hate drunk drivers when they cause accidents where people are injured or killed and it\u2019s not hard to prove someone was drunk at trial even without a blood result or a breath test results,\u201d Vecchio added.<\/p>\n<p>Vecchio also said not showing the jury Higgins\u2019 borderline blood results could ironically \u201cactually hurt him a little bit\u201d because jurors might imagine he was much more drunk than the BAC reading based on myriad other evidence like the video footage and the cops\u2019 likely testimony about how he seemed drunk \u2013smelling of alcohol and standing unsteady on his feet.<\/p>\n<p>Mestern said the fact that Higgins didn\u2019t stop to see if the brothers were okay after hitting them, only eventually stopping down the road where cops found him, is enough to prove the element that he was indifferent toward human life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that defendant did not stop to assist Matthew and John after hitting them with his SUV could be enough, alone, to determine the defendant\u2019s actions amounted to an extreme indifference to human life,\u201d Mestern wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Higgins lost a prior bid to have his case thrown out based on the fact the brothers were more drunk than he was at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors claim Higgins \u2014 an army vet who served in the Iraq war \u2014 careened into the siblings after he passed a car in front of him that had slowed down after spotting the cyclists.<\/p>\n<p>Higgins is due in court on May 11 for arguments on his motion to dismiss the indictment.<\/p>\n<p>A lawyer for Higgins and a spokesperson for the prosecutor\u2019s office didn\u2019t return requests for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds 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href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/03\/us-news\/how-botched-blood-alcohol-test-in-johnny-gaudreau-case-could-be-a-big-problem-for-prosecutors\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prosecutors appear to have botched the blood-alcohol test for the New Jersey man accused of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[349],"tags":[3888,152,3501,226,1325,8619,6186,355,291,1208],"class_list":["post-8020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-alcohol","tag-big","tag-blood","tag-botched","tag-case","tag-gaudreau","tag-johnny","tag-problem","tag-prosecutors","tag-test"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610.jpg",1200,799,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-768x511.jpg",640,426,true],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-1024x682.jpg",640,426,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610.jpg",1200,799,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610.jpg",1200,799,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-1115x715.jpg",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-800x500.jpg",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-1024x682.jpg",1024,682,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sean-higgins-mugshot-columbus-blue-126643610-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a 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