More than 100 victim impact statements submitted at sentencing for man, mother convicted in impaired driving death

Dozens of friends and family members flooded a Winnipeg courtroom Tuesday as the sentencing hearing began for a man who pleaded guilty to impaired driving in a fatal collision that killed a 24-year-old woman.

The group of around 80 people donned purple “Justice for Jordyn” t-shirts in support of drunk driving victim Jordyn Reimer and her family.

Reimer, a student at Edmonton's MacEwan University, was a designated driver for a group of friends the night she was struck and killed by Tyler Goodman in Transcona on May 1, 2022. At the time, Goodman was just days away from his 29th birthday.

On May 15, 2023, 30-year-old Goodman pleaded guilty to charges of impaired driving causing death and failing to stop at an accident resulting in death. His mother Laurie Goodman pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.

The Crown is seeking a six-year sentence for the impaired driving causing death charge with an additional consecutive one-year sentence for failing to stop at the scene. In the case of Laurie Goodman, the Crown and the defence put forward a joint recommendation for a six-month conditional sentence on her obstruction charge. However, the defence is expected to ask for fewer restrictions when they make their submissions.

Statement of facts recount night of collision

Crown attorney Matt Armstrong read out an agreed statement of facts that outlined the night of the high-profile crash. Court heard that on April 30, 2022, Goodman consumed nine or 10 drinks at the Joe’s Pandora Inn bar in Transcona between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. When the bar was closing, Goodman and his friends purchased a case of 15 beers. Before getting behind the wheel, one of his passengers initially took the keys away from Goodman, but ended up returning the keys and piling into Goodman’s 2019 Dodge Ram truck -- registered in his mother’s name -- around 2 a.m.

The court heard that according to an analysis and collision reconstruction report, Goodman ran through two stop signs on Bond Street and was travelling more than 100 km/h when he struck the driver’s side of Reimer’s SUV at Kildare Avenue. At the time, Reimer’s car was travelling at 52 km/h.

Armstrong told the court that witnesses to the crash told Goodman and his passengers to remain at the scene of the accident, but they fled.

Shortly after leaving, Goodman was picked up from a parking lot by his mother Laurie. They returned home together at 2:30 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, police arrived at the Goodman residence and tried calling Laurie, to no avail.

When the pair spoke to police the evening after the incident, both Laurie and Tyler Goodman told officers they did not speak to or see each other until later that morning.

Armstrong told provincial court Judge Kael McKenzie that Goodman’s actions speak to the “intentional risk-taking behaviour” that “cannot be characterized as a momentary lapse in judgment.”

‘I feel empty’: victim’s sister

More than 100 victim impact statements were submitted in the case and around 70 people have asked to read their statements. The court says it will hear as many as possible, prioritizing immediate family members.

The court heard emotional testimonies Tuesday afternoon from Reimer’s three sisters – Alex, Nicole and Andrea – as well as her parents. They spoke about immense feelings of pain, grief, anxiety, heartbreak, guilt and numbness.

“I feel stuck here without Jordyn and without a purpose,” Alex Reimer, Jordyn’s eldest sister, told the court. “I feel empty. And even when I try, I struggle to feel anything outside of the dark, heavy, all-consuming grief and loss.”

“This was not an accident, this was 100 percent preventable,” Jordyn’s younger sister Andrea Reimer said. “It was caused by Tyler Scott Goodman. She was killed because of his choices and I could not protect her.”

Reimer’s family members also spoke about the physical and financial impacts the collision has had on them, including deteriorating health and prolonged absences from their jobs.

Court is expected to reconvene Friday morning to continue with the victim impact statements. The defence is also expected to make its submissions for sentencing. It is unclear when a decision in the sentencing of Tyler and Laurie Goodman will be made.