Guilty plea in Geo’s death
Driver admits refusing to provide breath sample in patio tragedy.
The man accused of killing a two-year-old boy by driving his vehicle through the patio of a south-side Edmonton restaurant two years ago pleaded guilty in provincial court Friday to refusing to provide a breath sample when there is a death.
Richard Suter, 64, faced five impaired-driving related charges in the death of Geo Mounsef, killed while dining with his parents and oneyear-old brother at a Terwillegar restaurant on May 19, 2013.
Suter was charged with impaired driving causing death, three counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm, and refusing to provide a breath sample in a death, a relatively new charge in the Criminal Code that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years.
A sentencing hearing for Suter is scheduled for Oct. 19. It’s expected the other charges will be withdrawn.
In a brief agreed statement of facts read in court Friday, Crown prosecutor Neil Wiberg said Suter drove through a glass window on the restaurant’s patio, striking a table.
Restaurant patrons thought the driver appeared impaired. When a police officer arrived, she smelled alcohol on Suter and demanded a breath sample. Suter was taken to a police station where he contacted a lawyer. After the call, he refused to give a breath sample.
Outside court, Suter’s lawyer, Dino Bottos, said his client was not impaired by alcohol when he pressed the wrong pedal and crashed into the patio, a statement disputed by George Mounsef and Sage Morin, Geo’s parents.
“This family has suffered a great deal emotionally and they will be fearful for years to come,” Bottos said, as Suter and his wife Gayska stood behind him, his wife visibly upset.
Bottos said the Suter family now live in fear.
Earlier this week, a man was charged in connection with a January incident in which Suter was abducted from his home by three men, beaten and had his thumb cut off.
Morin condemned the violence on social media.
Supporters of Geo’s family, wearing T-shirts with the slogan “Justice for Geo,” packed the courtroom Friday, as they have throughout the case.
“Today, Geo is smiling on us all because we have taken the first step toward achieving justice for Geo,” said George Mounsef outside court, wearing a “Justice for Geo” T-shirt with a photo of his son’s face on it.
“It may be too little too late, but we are headed in the right direction,” Morin said.