The close of a Winnipeg trial ended in chaos Thursday morning when people in the gallery began screaming at the defendant saying "she's a killer" and "liar." The commotion forced officers to clear the court.
“She killed two people, I don't care! Somebody needs to take responsibility," said Vern Hogue.
The commotion followed a not guilty verdict reached in the case of Crystal Vandal. She is the Winnipeg woman charged with careless driving in connection with a 2013 crash that killed 43-year-old Jeanne Haug and her 23-year-old daughter, Brittney Chegus.
They were travelling south on Gateway Road when an SUV, driven by Vandal, suddenly swerved into their lane. It hit them head on, killing them both.
But at trial, Crystal Vandal testified the accident was the fault of her passenger, who she said had grabbed the wheel.
Vandal’s lawyer, Saul Simmonds, says "prior to the interference of the steering wheel, my client had been driving properly, and had not in any way been driving carelessly."
Judge Ryan Rolston agreed, saying in his ruling "she could not be expected to regulate her driving based on others actions…speed alone is not enough for careless driving in these circumstances."
The decision didn’t sit well with the victims’ families.
“There’s no responsibility for losing my sister, losing my niece! Losing a mother, a grandmother! I had to buy a suit for my nieces funeral, not her wedding. She was 23 years old, she had her whole life ahead of her," said Jeanne’s brother, Darryl.
Police had charged Vandal's passenger, Carl Balan, with obstructing the driver of a motor vehicle in this case. However, those charges have been stayed.
