The son of former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Brian Tobin has pleaded guilty to a deadly drunk driving stunt that killed his best friend in downtown Ottawa on Christmas Eve.
Jack Tobin pleaded guilty to one count of impaired driving causing death during a brief court appearance in Ottawa on Tuesday. Two other charges were dropped.
Tobin's longtime friend, 24-year-old Alex Zolpis, was killed when he got trapped under a rental truck on the top floor of a Byward Market parking garage on Christmas Eve. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"I know I am responsible for what's happened. I want to do the right thing for everyone," Tobin told police, according to the agreed statement of facts filed in court.
"I drank, I drove, now someone's dead. He was a good friend."
The pair had been out drinking with a group of friends in the Byward Market earlier that night.
A statement of facts submitted to the court said Tobin initially told police that he only had one beer and stopped drinking at about 10 p.m.
However, two breathalyzer tests later revealed that Tobin had more than twice the legal blood alcohol limit in his system.
According to the statement of facts, the group started drinking at a bar, and continued drinking after closing. Tobin and a group of six friends went back to his parked truck to drink whiskey and listen to music.
That's when Tobin drove the truck onto the icy rooftop of a Byward Market parking garage to perform stunts for his friends.
A friend pleaded with him to stop and the group noticed that one of their friends was halfway under the vehicle. They pulled him out and realized that Zolpis was also missing.
He was pinned under the truck; his body caught in the drive shaft. It's not clear exactly how he ended up under the vehicle.
Police charged Tobin and he was released on a $100,000-bond on Christmas Day.
His lawyer told reporters Tuesday that his client always intended to take responsibility for his actions.
"He was intending to plead guilty to this for sometime and it just took a little bit of time because of the nature of the investigation to do it. But he wanted to accept his responsibility and spare everyone involved, particularly the friends and family of Alex," lawyer Norm Boxall said.
The parents of Alex Zolpis released a statement on Tuesday. They say they are still trying to come to terms with what happened.
"We're just really still in mourning for the loss of our boy . . . We will be giving a victim impact statement when the time comes," said Zolpis' mother, Susan Morgan.
"At the moment, we're just trying to survive and it's been a very terrible time."
Tobin will be sentenced on Aug. 4. The maximum penalty for his crime is life in prison; there is no minimum punishment.
Meantime, Tobin remains under the bail conditions set for him last December. He must live with his parents in Manotick and can not consume any alcohol.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's John Hua and files from The Canadian Press
