Jack Tobin, the son of former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Brian Tobin, is in court today for a sentencing hearing in the drunk driving incident that killed his best friend.
Twenty-five-year-old Tobin pleaded guilty in May to the Christmas Eve incident that killed Alex Zolpis.
Zolpis was pronounced dead after being found trapped under a truck in the early morning hours of December 24th in a Byward Market parking garage. Tobin admitted to being drunk and deliberately spinning the pick-up truck around the parking lot.
The sentencing hearing began at 9 a.m. at the Ottawa courthouse and was filled with emotional victim impact statements from Zolpis's parents, sister and girlfriend.
"I am filled with guilt about the night he died," his sister Meaghan said. "I don't recall the last time I told him I loved him."
Zolpis's parents said their grief for their son has been overwhelming.
"The grief...has taken us to the depths of depression," Zolpis's mother said. "We wonder if we'll ever return to our previous lives."
Zolpis's longtime girlfriend Emma Roberts also spoke at the hearing. Through tears, she told the court that she and Zolpis had talked about getting married and having children.
Read the victim impact statements here.
Tobin faces a maximum of life in prison. The sentence is expected to be handed down Friday at 9 a.m.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnur
