Court date Wednesday in Halloween crash that killed 2 teens

WINNIPEG – The criminal negligence case in the crash that killed two teens in 2010, when a young woman ran a red light while texting and after drinking at a party, will be back in court Wednesday.

A new date will be set for the case during what was originally expected to be the woman’s sentencing. Sentencing will not take place Wednesday, a court official said Wednesday morning.

The Crown prosecutor asked at an April sentencing hearing that the woman be sentenced as an adult and receive “significant penitentiary time.” The defence asked that she be sentenced as a youth, which would mean she faces a maximum sentence of three years.

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Amutha Subramaniam, 17, and Senhit Mehari, 19, were killed on Oct. 30, 2010, when the woman ran a red light and hit their car at the intersection of Bishop Grandin and St. Mary’s Road. Lysbeth Arthur and Yohanna Asghedom, both 18, were seriously injured in the crash.

READ MORE: Crown seeks adult sentence for driver in fatal Halloween 2010 crash

The accused pleaded guilty in September to two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. She can’t be named because she was 17 at the time of the crash.

She had her cruise control set at 20 kilometres per hour over the speed limit and didn’t slow down as she texted on her Blackberry while she blew through a red light, the Crown said in April. Her blood-alcohol level was between .07 and .12; the federal criminal code limit is .08, but under Manitoba law, drivers’ licences can be suspended for driving with blood alcohol over .05.

READ MORE: Driver in Halloween crash that killed 2 teens pleads guilty

Family members and the young women who survived the crash gave emotional testimony about the aftermath at the April 1 sentencing hearing.

“My father’s health has deteriorated with the stress of what happened,” Anita Subramaniam said at the hearing. “I was her big sister and I failed to protect her from someone who has no regard for human life.”