The man who killed two University of British Columbia students in a high-speed crash sobbed in court as the mother of one of his victims described her grief as 鈥渨oven into my DNA.鈥�
Tim Goerner was originally charged with two counts of impaired driving causing the deaths of Evan Smith and Emily Selwood, both 18.
He pleaded guilty last month to two counts of dangerous driving causing death.
Smith鈥檚 mother, Debbie O鈥橠ay-Smith, told the sentencing hearing in Richmond provincial court on Monday that her son was adventurous and made 鈥渁n indelible mark on everyone he met.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 doubt he would鈥檝e made a difference in this world,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 miss everything about him.鈥�
Smith had been accepted into every school he鈥檇 applied for, but chose the University of B.C. because it was a place he felt he could grow the most, she said.
鈥淵ou robbed me of my baby, my little boy,鈥� she said, addressing Goerner across the courtroom. 鈥淚f you are remorseful, prove it.鈥�
She urged him to watch her son鈥檚 funeral service online and said she expects 鈥渢ruth and accountability鈥� from the young man.
Crown prosecutor Daniel Pruim said Goerner had alcohol in his system when he killed Smith and Selwood, and a joint submission from the Crown and the defence said Goerner should serve three years in jail, with a driving prohibition of five years.
The court heard Goerner, an international student at the university, was drinking alcohol at a party the night of Sept. 25, 2021.
Early the next morning he was driving on campus at speeds between 100 and 120 kilometres an hour in a 40-kilometre zone.
Goerner hit a street lamp, then a boulder and his vehicle became airborne before running down the victims from behind.
Both Smith and Selwood were pronounced dead at the scene.
Goerner, dressed in a grey suit, sat in court with his head down, crying as he listened to victim impact statements from those who loved the teens.
Selwood鈥檚 father, Duncan Selwood, told the court that their world 鈥渇ell apart鈥� the day of her death.
He said the emotional toll was like being 鈥渆lectrocuted鈥� by jolts of fear, disbelief, sadness, anger and guilt that 鈥渒nocked me to the ground.鈥�
He said he can barely sleep since his daughter鈥檚 death, and words of encouragement from others about things getting better or easier are unhelpful.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all wrong,鈥� he said. 鈥淗earing these words makes me so angry.鈥�
He said he can no longer interact with people, telling the court that his daughter鈥檚 death will 鈥渇orever torment me.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in this bad place because of Tim Goerner,鈥� he said, adding that any words of apology would be 鈥渋nsulting,鈥� 鈥渆mpty,鈥� or 鈥渕eaningless.鈥�
鈥淚 hope this weighs on his soul,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 hope Tim Goerner鈥檚 time in prison is hard.鈥�
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