BC woman jailed for fatal drunk driving crash that killed three young passengers

A 23-year-old East Kootenay woman has been sentenced to two years in jail for a drunk driving crash that killed three of her friends.

Haley Jade Watson had more than twice the legal alcohol limit in her blood and was driving at twice the speed limit when she overshot a turn, and her truck rolled before hitting a hydro pole.

The three passengers in the truck, 25-year-old Brady Tardif, 25-year-old Jackson Freeman, and 21-year-old Gavin Murray, all died in the crash.

Watson, who was 21 years old at the time and had N plates, was the only survivor.

“The friends and family of the victims spoke of their grief at the loss of their loved ones. They spoke of the futures, the dreams and milestones each of these men will never live to experience,” BC Supreme Court Justice Lindsay Lyster said in a Jan. 30 decision. “Some of them spoke of the anger they have felt about how their loved ones died, the senselessness of their untimely deaths, and their unanswered questions about why this happened. They have been traumatized by the sudden deaths of their loved ones, unable to free themselves of the images they have seen and what they imagine their loved ones’ last moments to have been like.”

The Justice said the grief and trauma have meant some have been unable to work, others have moved, now that their homes remind them of their lost loved ones.

The crash dates back to July 2024, when Watson was invited to Murray’s house in Witmar, a small community south of Invermere.

She had already drunk two cans of a vodka cooler when she drove to Murray’s place, met up with Tardif and Freeman and began drinking beers.

“For approximately two hours, these four people sat outdoors, chatting and listening to music,” the decision reads. “When the beer ran out, all four agreed to travel together to Invermere to buy more beer.”

Murray didn’t want to drive as he had too much to drink, but Watson agreed to drive everyone in her truck. They all wore seatbelts, except Murray.

It was dark and clear on the two-lane rural road, but Watson ignored the 60 km/h speed limit.

“The truck approached a right-hand bend that had an advisory road sign suggesting a reduced speed of 50 kph. When Ms. Watson approached the bend, she was travelling at approximately 118 kph,” the decision reads.

The truck left the road.

“The truck decelerated to approximately 63 kph when it started to roll down an embankment. The truck was still rolling at 32 to 40 kph when it struck a power pole on the passenger side, causing the pole to break and collapse,” the Justice said. “The truck came to rest on its roof.”

Tardif, Murray, and Freeman were all pronounced dead at the scene.

Watson was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

“Three young men died as a result of this offence,” the Justice said. “Twenty-six of their family members and friends provided victim impact statements, many of which were read in court. The victim impact statements provide a glimpse of who Brady, Gavin and Jackson were, and the profound impact their deaths have had on those who loved them.”

Tardif had a young son and was engaged to be married; Freeman had just earned his red seal in carpentry; and Murray loved the outdoors, where he felt at home with nature. 

“The friends and family of the victims spoke of their grief at the loss of their loved ones. They spoke of the futures, the dreams and milestones each of these men will never live to experience. Some of them spoke of the anger they have felt about how their loved ones died, the senselessness of their untimely deaths, and their unanswered questions about why this happened,” the justice said.

After the crash, Watson was charged with impaired driving causing death, and pleaded guilty.

Now, 23 years old, Watson provided 20 letters of support to the court.

The decision says Watson grew up with a single mom and suffered sexual abuse by her stepfather when she was nine or 10 years old. She started smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol in Grade 8 and spent some time in foster care.

Since the offence, her home was vandalized.

The Justice highlighted inconsistencies in several expert reports on Watson prior to sentencing.

In one report, she showed remorse and offered some insight into her action, but then told another report writer she didn’t remember if she was the driver, and disagreed with information in the police reports. She said she pleaded guilty to give the victims’ families closure, “regardless of whether she was guilty.”

At one point, she claimed she’d only had two drinks that evening, contrary to the blood test.

“She attempted to shift blame away from herself by offering several alternative scenarios in which she was not responsible for her actions and the victims played a larger role. One such scenario was that she had been drugged by a substance that did not show up on the toxicology report. Another was that her high rate of speed could have been due to external factors such as peer pressure,” the Justice said.

One report writer said her outward demeanour appeared emotionally detached.

“She told the writer that she did not want her tears to come off as disingenuous, so she had chosen not to cry during court proceedings and the pre-sentence report interview. Ms. Watson’s mother confirmed this and said that she is emotional when at home, which her mother views as being the result of deep inner conflict and a trauma response,” the Justice said.

Watson’s counsellor said she had “survivor’s guilt” and remorse.

“I have no doubt that Ms. Watson is sincerely remorseful for having made the decision to drink and drive, a decision, which as she said, changed the world in seconds. It appears however that she still focusses to some significant degree on the harm she has suffered, rather than on the harm suffered by the victims and their families,” Justice Lyster said. “Ms. Watson is on a journey towards taking full responsibility for the offence that killed Mr. Tardif, Mr. Freeman and Mr. Murray. Her remarks in court reflected significantly greater insight and acknowledgement of her responsibility than was contained in the pre-sentence report. This was a traumatic event with tragic consequences. With time, continued support and treatment, I believe that Ms. Watson will be able to consistently take full responsibility for her actions, and to use her experience to help others not to make the same ruinous decision she made on the night of July 9, 2024.”

Crown prosecutors wanted Watson to serve five years’ jail, while the defence argued for house arrest.

Justice Lyster settled on two years in jail, followed by three years’ probation.

“While at the low end of the range, (it) will signal to the public that this was a serious crime and that such reckless behaviour must be condemned. At the same time, Ms. Watson is very young and has excellent rehabilitation prospects,” the Justice said. “A sentence of this length will enable the court to impose a lengthy probation order, which I believe will best assist Ms. Watson in continuing on her path to rehabilitation, in particular sustained recovery from her substance use disorder, the fatal consequences of which have had such a devastating effect on the victims, the local community and Ms. Watson herself.”