Ontario man sentenced to 8 years in drunk driving case that killed 3 children - BERITAJA

A Georgetown, Ont., man who drove drunk arsenic a teenager, starring to the decease of three children from 1 family past year, has been sentenced to 8 years successful prison.

But aft accounting for clip served, 20-year-old Ethan Lehouillier will service about six-and-a-half years successful total.

Ontario Court Justice Kim Crosbie delivered the condemnation connected Monday.

“This lawsuit is tragic to the extreme, but to telephone it calamity does not springiness it justice,” Crosbie said anterior to delivering the sentence.

“No condemnation could ever effort to measurement the worth of 3 precious lives.”

Crosbie besides imposed a 20-year driving ban, pinch the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to determine afterward if Lehouillier could legally thrust again. He must besides supply a DNA sample to authorities.

Lehouillier could beryllium seen wiping his eyes and chemoreceptor pinch a insubstantial arsenic the judge recounted the tragic incident successful May 2025 anterior to reference retired her sentence.

The now 20-year-old Georgetown man pleaded blameworthy successful December 2025 to 3 counts of impaired driving causing the deaths of 15-year-old Ramone Lavina, 13-year-old Jace Lavina and six-year-old Mya Lavina.

“Their nonaccomplishment is felt daily,” Crosbie said connected Monday.

Lehouillier besides pleaded blameworthy to 3 counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm successful narration to the children’s 10-year-old brother, Avery Lavina, their mother, 35-year-old Jade Galve, and their mother’s boyfriend, 40-year-old Akesh Paladugu.

Assistant Crown lawyer Jay Spare told the tribunal during a sentencing proceeding earlier this twelvemonth that an due condemnation would beryllium successful the precocious extremity of the eight- to 10-year range.

Defence lawyer Christopher Avery suggested a scope of six to 8 years, but said 7 years would beryllium appropriate, calling the lawsuit “an perfectly appalling tragedy.”

The family had been celebrating Victoria Day earlier that night, watching fireworks, and were connected their measurement location erstwhile the calamity unfolded, tribunal heard during a sentencing proceeding successful February 2026.

At about 12:30 a.m. connected May 18, 2025, according to an agreed connection of facts, Lehouillier was exiting Highway 401 eastbound astatine Renforth Drive successful a van and slammed into a northbound van that was sitting astatine a reddish light.

Seconds anterior to the collision, Lehouillier’s van was travelling 168 km/h, according to the physics information recorder. It decreased to 95 km/h 1 10th of 1 2nd anterior to the collision.

He drove done the reddish ray astatine Renforth and crossed the 3 southbound postulation lanes connected Renforth, narrowly missing southbound vehicles. His conveyance past deed the median separating the northbound and southbound postulation lanes and launched into the air. It struck the conveyance being driven by Paladugu pinch specified utmost unit that it caused the conveyance to rotation over.

The Georgetown teenager’s conveyance continued eastbound past Renforth complete the raised postulation land and came to remainder upside-down connected the Highway 427 on-ramp.

He was arrested astatine the scene. According to the facts, his humor intoxicant contented astatine the clip of the clang would person been 185 mg of intoxicant per 100 ml of blood, aliases much than doubly the ineligible limit.

Galve told the tribunal during the proceeding she wakes up each time to beryllium location for Avery, but she said she wonders why the children were killed and not her.

She besides said it’s a reminder of the dangers of drinking and driving.

“Drinking and driving must stop. No 1 deserves this, particularly my children. They deserved to live,” Galve, 35, said.

“I dream you retrieve the harm you’ve done and the lives you’ve taken.”

Lehouillier was fixed the opportunity to reside tribunal earlier sentencing. He utilized it to apologize to the Lavina family.

“I can’t ideate your pain. So galore group suffered because of me,” said the now 20-year-old.

“I dream to beryllium a sound truthful this will ne'er hap to different guiltless family again. This lawsuit is horrific and tragic but I’m sorry, this should ne'er person happened,” he added.

—with files from BERITAJA’ Catherine McDonald