An Innisfail oil services company owner has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for killing four Filipino temporary foreign workers and seriously injuring another while driving drunk on the wrong side of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway (QEII).
In an emotional plea on Jan. 4 in Red Deer provincial court, Tyler Stevens, 30, requested permission to apologize to the more than a dozen family members of the victims in attendance, before the judge handed down his sentence.
"For the last three months I've walked out to the accident site and I've prayed for the families," he said. "I haven't prayed in years."
Anthony Castillon, 35, Eden Biazon, 39, Joey Mangonon, 35, and Josefina Velarde, 52, died March 4 last year when Stevens' SUV collided with their 2011 Dodge Journey.
Josephine Tamondong, 29, suffered major injuries in the crash.
Stevens, who helped build a successful oil company that operated in Australia, pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm in September.
He asked the relatives of the victims to allow him to assist them financially, offering to pay their tuition and help with immigration efforts.
"I don't want their friends' dreams to die," he said. "I'm so sorry for the pain I've caused them all.
"With every last breath I will be there for them."
Facing Stevens for the first time during victim impact statements, Tamondong described the pain the Innisfail resident had caused.
"On March 4, 2012, my life changed forever," she said. "It did not have to happen."
Stevens started the evening with a few scotch on the rocks at a family birthday party in Spruce View, eventually making his way to The Zoo in Innisfail where he had four drinks and left without paying.
He drove south down the QEII until he was 10 kilometres past Bowden, where he started driving north on the southbound lane.
About two dozen cars swerved out of Stevens' way as his speed fluctuated from 40 km/h to 120 km/h.
His SUV struck a 2011 Dodge Journey rental vehicle and the engine was forced into the passenger seat.
A test done 90 minutes after the crash found Stevens had 278 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, more than three times the legal limit.
"I don't remember much about that horrible night," Tamondong said. "In Canada I depended on my friends."
She remembers waking up in the University of Alberta Hospital with several broken bones including her right arm and clavicle.
"My family has been greatly impacted," she said. "I was and still am their breadwinner. Since the accident I haven't been able to make a living."
Over the next few months Tamondong underwent several major surgeries and faced intense pain.
"Often I was scared and alone," she said. "The memories of my friends would flash back on my mind."
Stevens also faces a six-year driving prohibition and a 10-year firearms ban.
Jeanelle Mangonon, the wife of Joey Mangonon, tearfully described her husband as a dad, who while far away, was very much present in the lives of their four children.
"He was a good father," she said, noting they would Skype daily. "He was just a click away."
Particularly tragic was the fact that he never got the chance to meet his own son, who was just three months old at the time of the accident.
"He silently longed for a son," she said. "It is not fair for him to grow without any memory of him."
She also illustrated the impact of the crash noting her loss of appetite, severe chest pains and problems sleeping.
"I feel so unstable. I am groping for balance," she said. "Joey was my everything."
The judge accepted Stevens' remorse as sincere, but agreed to the Crown's suggested sentence of six and a half years to send a message to others who may consider drinking and driving.
"The harm here is difficult to express," said Judge William Andreassen. "Certainly the loss to these families is unspeakably significant."
Stevens alone is responsible for his actions, he noted.
"The personal losses I've heard about today are tragic," he said. "It has to stop. It is unacceptable."
