Man charged in fatal Corvette crash headed to trial after all

A man charged in connection with a fatal car crash will be going to trial, despite a judge having found there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed with the case. 

After a preliminary inquiry last summer, a provincial court judge ruled there was not enough evidence to send 24-year-old Brandon Quilty to trial on a charge of dangerous driving causing death. The Crown, however, has elected to proceed by direct indictment, receiving permission from the attorney general to proceed with the charge anyway.

Quilty was arraigned in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s Friday morning, where a two-week jury trial was scheduled for Sept. 30. He didn’t appear personally, but was represented by his lawyer, Erin Breen.

Quilty is alleged to have been driving a Corvette when it crashed on Blackhead Road, near Shea Heights, in May 2017, landing on its roof. Both Quilty and passenger Justin Murrins, 27, were taken to hospital with injuries. Murrins died two days later.

Murrins’ family members have described him as loyal, big-hearted and a free spirit, and have said a number of people benefitted from his organ donation.