 Steve Machado, surrounded by friends and family, enters Brampton court to be sentenced for the deaths of Mariarosa Dalsass, inset right, and Cynthia Dougherty. The women were killed in a horrific car crash in October 2007. (Dave Thomas, QMI Agency)
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BRAMPTON - Friends and family of Mariarosa "Mar" Dalsass and her best friend Cynthia "Cindy" Dougherty -- killed in an horrific crash in 2007 -- lamented Friday that their lives were only worth 11 months each.
Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno sentenced Steve Machado, 25, to 22.5 months in jail and prohibited him from driving for 10 years.
Durno credited the man with 1.5 months for seven days pre-trial custody and for his restrictive bail conditions.
Machado, who must also provide a DNA sample, was taken away from the crowded Brampton courtroom after a brief goodbye to his teary-eyed mother following the ruling.
The father of a young daughter pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death last year.
An extra hearing was held to determine if racing played a role in the Oct. 6, 2007, deaths of best friends Dalsass, 44, of Palgrave, and driver Dougherty, 49, of Beeton.
The chain-reaction crash involved seven vehicles on Hwy. 50.
"We're disappointed in (Friday's) ruling," John Greer, who spoke on behalf of the victims' families, said outside court. "It's hard to believe two lives are worth 11 months each and that he is incarcerated for such a short period of time for taking two people away from us."
"We have a legal system," friend Barb McCarthy said, "not a justice system. There is no justice here."
In his lengthy ruling, Durno ruled out the conditional sentence the defence sought, pointing to aggravating factors that included the devastating impact statements heard in court and the fact that there were two deaths and others were hurt.
The punishment must reflect deterrence and denunciation, Durno said, adding "the criminal law does not restore life."
But Greer believes the opportunity to deter was missed. "We were hoping that these deaths will be a lesson and maybe help other people not become in the same situation as we're in, so there's no lesson, I think personally," he said.
Machado lost control of his Audi as he approached a dump truck while searching for a CD under the passenger seat, the judge said.
Sentencing has to send a message to drivers who speed and show a reckless disregard of others, he said.
Crown Sean Doyle sought four years jail with a 15- to 20-year driving ban, while defence lawyer Peter Brauti asked for 18 months to two years less a day served under house arrest with electronic monitoring and a six- to 10-year driving ban for the first-time offender.
Durno previously ruled that while Machado was speeding and driving "aggressively in tandem" and tailgating with his brother Brian, they were not racing before the horrific crash, involving seven vehicles on Hwy. 50 on Oct. 6, 2007.
Brian Machado is charged with the same offences and is awaiting trial,
Court heard previously Machado reached speeds of at least 120 km/h in the 80 km/h zone.
Brauti said it's among the toughest cases he's dealt with.
"It's probably the saddest case that I've been involved in," he said outside court, "because these were two great ladies who gave a lot to the community who passed away."
rob.lamberti@sunmedia.ca
