VT - Wrong-Way Crash Kills Five, Chittenden County, Williston, 8 Oct 2016 *Arrest*

Madeleine74 said:

This crash reminds me a lot of the one that is in trial right now in NC.

Chandler Kania, 20 at the time of the crash in 2015 was extremely drunk, high, got into a verbal fight with a fellow fraternity brother and, despite several friends trying to physically stop him, he got in his jeep, ended up driving the wrong way on the Interstate at speeds in excess of 80mph, and crashed head on into a vehicle carrying 2 women and 2 young children. All but one child died. It's horrific.

He of course suffered some broken bones but nothing serious.

He's being tried for 2nd degree murder and is on trial. He plead guilty to felony homicide by vehicle right before the trial started. So the trial is essentially about "intent," which is what has to be determined to be convicted of 2nd degree murder.

The trial is happening in Orange County, as the accident occurred near Chapel Hill, NC.

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This Sunday will mark a year since a Williston man allegedly ran his pickup truck head-on into a car carrying five Harwood-area 11th-graders, killing them all.

A year later, their classmates are seniors in high school. And a year later, there’s no indication that the murder case against Steven Bourgoin is anywhere close to being finished.

T.J. Donovan, the Chittenden County state’s attorney, who was elected Vermont’s attorney general a month after the crash, said Bourgoin showed a “wanton disregard for the value of human life,” intentionally driving the wrong way on I-89 at excessive speeds. The five deaths are believed to be the largest mass homicide case charged criminally in Vermont.

According to the Chittenden County Superior Court docket, Bourgoin is next due in court Oct. 20, for a status conference. Also due to appear for the conference are four victim’s advocates.

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JusticeWillBeServed said:

A year later, accused killer awaits trial

http://www.stowetoday.com/waterbury_record/news/local_news/a-year-later-accused-killer-awaits-trial/article_2457eed6-a9d6-11e7-a136-2b3f2905c953.html



Gazebo dedicated to teens killed in wrong-way crash

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The criminal trial of a wrong-way driver charged with killing five Mad River Valley teenagers in a fiery crash on Interstate 89 in Williston a year ago could be delayed until at least April.

There are potentially 50 depositions of police officers that may still need to be taken in the case involving Steven Bourgoin, 37, of Williston, defense lawyer Robert Katims said in Vermont Superior Court late Friday afternoon.

Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George said after the court hearing she had been hoping for a trial in February, but now believes April is more likely.

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The toxicology report of a man charged with killing five teens in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 89 last year reveals what was in his bloodstream hours after the fatal crash. The report shows that hours after the crash, Steven Bourgoin, 27, still had a mix of several drugs in his blood: THC, the mind-altering ingredient of marijuana; fentanyl, an opioid pain medication; and Midazolam, a sedative.

Bourgoin has pleaded not guilty to five counts of second-degree murder and is awaiting trial. And Chittenden County Prosecutor Sarah George says this toxicology report has nothing to do with her murder case against Bourgoin.

"This toxicology report just shows that he had marijuana in his system. If that was the only factor involved and he was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, this would be a very different conversation," George said. "I didn't want it released because I don't want people trying to justify his actions based on that."

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Steven Bourgoin, awaiting trial on charges of second-degree murder from a fatal head-on collision that killed five teenagers in the fall of 2016, will raise an insanity defense, according to newly filed court documents.

It was reported at the time of the 2016 accident that Bourgoin had mental health issues that had not been addressed. VTDigger reported at the time that Bourgoin had spent the morning before the crash in and out of the emergency room.

It was reported that Bourgoin had told a friend that he had anxiety and PTSD from traumatic childhood experiences. An officer from the Williston Police Department who responded to the crash and who knew Bourgoin from previous interactions told investigators that Bourgoin had PTSD.

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A Williston driver accused of killing five teenagers in a 2016 car crash on Interstate 89 plans to seek a change of venue for his trial out of Chittenden County, State’s Attorney Sarah George said Monday.

The move, which George plans to object to, is one of several issues that have conspired to delay the trial. Originally scheduled to begin this month, the trial has been pushed back to at least September, George said.

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Judge Kevin Griffin said the case against Steven Bourgoin, 37, has drawn considerable news coverage and some potential jurors in all 14 Vermont counties may have read about the case. He said he needs to know more about the news coverage statewide before he rules on a defense request to move the trial to another county.

The judge gave the prosecution and defense until June 11 to submit samples of what they think might be prejudicial news stories.

It appears the trial won’t begin until at least November.

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Bourgoin's attorney, Bob Katims, has requested a change of venue in the case.

The judge will have a decision by next Friday on whether or not he will grant the venue change request.

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Burlington Judge Kevin Griffin's decision to keep the trial local comes after defense attorneys for Steven Bourgoin, 37, of Williston argued earlier this year that it would be impossible for the man to have a fair trial in Burlington due to "widespread and continuous" media coverage.

"Chittenden County offers the largest pool of jurors from which a panel can be selected in the state," Griffin wrote in his decision. "Given the statewide nature of the news coverage alleged by Defendant to be prejudicial, this fact further supports the Court finding that a change of venue is unwarranted."

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JusticeWillBeServed said:

Trial of Bourgoin, suspect in I-89 crash that killed 5 Vermonters, to stay in Burlington

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