Dozens of people packed into a Calgary courtroom for the sentencing hearing for a 21-year-old man who admitted to a high-speed, drunk driving crash that killed a taxi driver and his passenger last spring.
Police were called to a crash between a Cadillac Escalade truck, Honda Civic and an Associated Cab in the intersection of Macleod Trail and 12 Avenue SE at about 2:00 a.m. on May 2, 2015.
The driver of the cab, Amritpal Kharbanda, 46, and his passenger 25-year-old Jillian Lavallee suffered critical injuries and died later in hospital.
The occupants of the Escalade and the Civic were all taken to hospital in stable condition.
Ali Montoya was behind the wheel of the Escalade and was originally charged with impaired driving causing death and impaired driving causing bodily harm.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm earlier this year.
A traffic camera clocked the Escalade at 98 kilometres per hour when it went through the red light and crashed into the Civic and the cab.
On Wednesday, Montoya appeared in court for a sentencing hearing and family and friends of both of the victims also attended the proceedings.
The Kharbanda and Lavallee families submitted 25 victim impact statements and the majority were read in court.
Kharbanda’s daughter said she is shattered and heartbroken and that she misses him every day.
A friend of the family read a statement on behalf of Kharbanda’s wife, Harpreet, saying that "one careless act has deprived my children of their father.”
Jillian Lavallee’s mother, Brenda told the court that her “beautiful, strong and happy girl won’t be coming home" and her sister, Caitlin, said she was brilliant and vibrant.
Her father, Dan, said it’s a “special kind of cruelty” for a parent to decide to take their child off of life support and that his daughter loved the Stampede, the Flames and the mountains.
Montoya read a letter to the court and apologized to the families saying “I stand here today to offer my sincere apology" and that he was “young, stupid, extremely irresponsible and selfish.”
“The sincerity of his remorse is reflected throughout the beginning. He cried in the bail hearing. His comments to the doctor, Doctor Bailey who did the psychological report, are peppered with sincere, comments of sincerity and obvious feeling of compassion for the family for what he had done and not shirking responsibility and admitting and taking responsibility, owning what he’s done,” said Alain Hepner, defence counsel.
A joint submission from the Crown and defence is asking for a four and a half year jail sentence followed by a five year driving prohibition.
“It would be wonderful if they look at two lives lost and consider that four and a half years isn’t proportional,” said Dan Lavallee. “In our minds it certainly isn’t. We understand their logic but we wish that there was a stronger statement made for people out there who consider driving drunk.”
Montoya is currently out on bail and a sentencing date has been set for November 25th, 2016.
