A nurse was found guilty at the end of her trial of killing her best friend for drunk driving and speeding twice after a party where alcohol was pouring down on her birthday.
• Also read: She killed her friend for her party
“That night was literally a tragedy. Today’s ruling sends a message: Disabled driving is unacceptable and can lead to a tragedy of this kind,” said Attorney General Me Jade Coderre.
Defendant Stéphanie Tanguay struggled to hold back her tears as she heard this morning a judge found her guilty of negligence and criminal negligence which led to the death of her friend Jasmine Charette.
According to an analysis of the blood sample, the driver’s blood alcohol level was 116 mg/100 ml two hours after the accident, judge Normand Bonin said.
In the photo: Stephanie Tanguay Photo MARTIN ALARIE
This evidence was presented during the trial last spring at the Joliette courthouse.
On the evening of November 7, 2019, three friends met to celebrate Stéphanie Tanguay’s 35th birthday at the Houston Resto-Bar in Terrebonne. Wine, shooters, a bottle of sparkling wine: the evening was festive and boisterous. Eventually, the girlfriends took to the dance floor to keep partying.
An evening becomes a drama
Around midnight, Michèle Parsons left the bar, taking great care to get her friends to promise “not to drive”.
She did not feel fit to drive and had also hired a driver to drive her home in her vehicle.
But her friends didn’t listen to her. At around 3:19 am, Stéphanie Tanguay took the wheel and drove with her friend Jasmine Charette in their Honda Civic to a Tim Hortons, about twelve miles from Houston.
Stéphanie Tanguay (left) and the victim Jasmine Charette. Facebook picture
Surveillance cameras recorded their passage through the restaurant’s parking lot. We can see that the car drives there with difficulty and even comes close to hitting a lamppost.
“It’s abnormal to install so many sidewalk strips in such a short amount of time and not be able to line them up properly in a space much wider than the vehicle,” Judge Bonin said.
The two friends stayed in front of the switchboard for 10 minutes. Even the cashier, Luciana Larosa, was surprised by the driver’s attitude: “She knows there’s something unusual about it.” “She thinks she’s drunk,” they say.
twice too fast
Barely two minutes after exiting the thoroughfare, their vehicle went off the road on a curve and crashed into a roadside culvert in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan.
At that time, Stéphanie Tanguay was driving at 96 km/h, almost twice the maximum speed permitted at this location.
Police at the road exit location, November 8, 2019. Erik Peters / QMI Agency
Jasmine Charette, who also worked as a nurse, died instantly.
Highly drunk, erratic driving, speeding and not wearing a seat belt: “Driving [de l’accusée] “Shows a series of errors in judgment and inattention that she should have recognized and not continued on her way,” the judge finally lamented.
The hot woman is now threatened with imprisonment. The verdict will be handed in next August.
WHAT YOU SAID:
“Judgment day, day of mourning. This is not pleasant, the victim and the accused were good friends. Everyone knew everyone. We hope this decision will ease the wounds of loved ones and help them move forward in their grief. –Jade Coderre, Attorney General
“I’m sorry for Stephanie [Tanguay] and it pains me to have lost my friend Jasmine.” —Michèle Parsons, the third friend to attend the anniversary
“All of the defendant’s actions clearly show that she willfully and recklessly disregards her life and that of the victim.” [Jasmine Charette].” – Judge Normand Bonin before sentencing Stéphanie Tanguay
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