A Washington state man is expected to be sentenced on Thursday for his role in a fiery crash that killed a B.C. pastor at the Peace Arch border crossing in 2019.
Cheung left behind a wife and two sons.
Many of the facts of the deadly collision were not disputed, and the case hinged on Singh’s intentions at the time, along with the possible argument that he is not criminally responsible by way of a mental disorder (NCRMD).
The agreed facts in the case included that Singh was travelling north at 120 kilometres per hour in a 30 km/h zone on Highway 99 in a Porsche Cayenne at the time of the crash.
He struck the rear of the Toyota Sienna that Cheung was driving back to Canada after fuelling up on the U.S. side of the border.
The collision pushed the Sienna into a flowerbed 65 metres from the point of impact, where the minivan burst into flames.
Cheung was killed on impact, the court heard during the trial. Singh was still in the driver’s seat of his vehicle when witnesses arrived, and Canada Border Services Agency members took him into custody at the scene.
A mechanical inspection found both vehicles were in good working order, and a blood test found under 10 milligrams of alcohol in Singh’s system.
The court heard testimony from its first witness, a CBSA officer who rushed to the scene following the collision.
He told the court Singh had scratches on his hands and the back of his head and described putting him in handcuffs.
Singh, he testified, was co-operative but wouldn’t answer questions and was muttering incoherent phrases.