The trial for the driver facing charges in connection with the death of a young couple in Pitt Meadows in 2010 wrapped up today in a dramatic finish.
Andelina Hecimovic, charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death, was found not guilty of killing Beckie Dyer, 19 and Johnny De Oliveira, 21, by the presiding judge.
As soon as the verdict was heard, De Oliveira’s family stood up and walked out of the court room. Along the way, the young man’s father threw a garbage can and broke a table in reaction the judge’s decision.
“It’s okay for people to drive vehicles and kill people and get away with it and not serve any time,” De Oliveira’s father told reporters outside the court house. “I think it’s pathetic… own up to what you’ve done wrong. Own up to it. She’s a coward.”
In October 2010, Hecimovic was driving on the Lougheed Highway in Pitt Meadows when she skidded sideways over a concrete median near Harris Road, flipped, and slammed into the roof of the young couple’s Suzuki Swift, killing them.
More than a dozen family members were in court to listen to witness accounts.
On those three points the judge dismissed both counts of dangerous driving causing death, saying the crown had to prove a mere departure (which would have caused civil action) or a marked departure (which would have brought criminal action) of Hecimovic’s normal driving behaviour. In the judge’s ruling, it’s believed the woman was ‘just having a bad day’.
In this case Hecimovic walks away without any kind of conditional discharge, not even probation.
The family of the De Oliveira is looking at their options for a possible appeal.
~ with files from Amy Judd
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