A judge is set to hand down his sentencing decision Friday morning for the driver in the fatal crash that claimed the life of a London Free Press carrier last November.
Jinghao Zhou, 24, pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death following a crash that claimed the life of 60-year-old Gloria Chivers.
READ MORE: Widower of London Free Press carrier pens emotional statement read in court
Zhou admitted to being under the influence of alcohol while behind the wheel of a rented Dodge Durango SUV when he ran a red light and struck Chivers’ Pontiac Sunfire head-on at the intersection of Richmond Street and Sunningdale Road at 2:45 a.m. Nov. 24, 2016. Chivers was stopped in the left turn lane on Sunningdale, waiting to turn onto Richmond.
“She was dedicated to the London Free Press for over 20 years,” said Ruth Summerhill, Chivers’ sister.
“She got up in the morning, did jobs that no one else would do, went and got her papers, delivered the paper to the people of Thorndale, who loved her greatly. I will miss her forever and ever, and think of her every day.”
It is estimated Zhou was travelling 188 km/hr at the time of the collision, with the Sunfire coming to rest over 91 metres from the point of impact and the Durango over 188 metres away. He was extricated from the vehicle but did not suffer any significant injuries. A witness and an emergency responder reported to have smelled alcohol on his breath and noted he had slurred speech and bloodshot, glossy eyes.
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At around 4:30 a.m. that morning, the coroner attended the scene and pronounced Chivers dead. Roughly an hour later, Zhou submitted to a breath test and blew 0.199; a second test soon after resulted in 0.184, more than double the legal limit of .08.
Zhou also pleaded guilty to immigration charges related to entering Canada with a fraudulent passport.
He arrived in Canada in Vancouver on Aug. 22, 2013, and attended Brock University in St. Catharines for a month. He dropped out and applied to King’s University in London and was accepted but was required to take ESL courses. He failed at Fanshawe College, enrolled in the London Language Institute, but did not attend or take any tests. He then started a business — a fish and tackle shop — which closed in September 2016.
Zhou then met a contact in an internet chat group and paid him $17,500 for a work permit. The e-application was granted but documents were falsified to say he graduated from Seneca College in International Business.
READ MORE: Driver pleads guilty in drunk-driving crash that killed London Free Press carrier
Chivers’ husband, Chris, has not been able to step into the courtroom.
“I think it’s too much for him to deal with seeing the accused,” said Summerhill.
Zhou’s parents have been in Canada since his arrest and attended all of his hearings.
Ontario Court Justice Thomas McKay had originally ordered the sentencing hearing for June 22, but it was pushed back to July 14.
Sentencing will begin at 10 a.m. Friday and AM980 will have a reporter at the London courthouse.
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