ATLANTA ? Atlanta Thrashers star Dany Heatley was indicted Friday on vehicular homicide and five other charges for the 2003 car wreck that killed his teammate and friend Dan Snyder.
If convicted on all counts, the Calgary native faces up to 20 years in prison and fines totalling $5,000 US.
The charges came on the same day former St. Louis Blues winger Mike Danton pleaded guilty to a murder-for-hire plot, adding up to a forgettable day for the NHL.
Heatley, 23, was driving his black 2002 Ferrari convertible at a high rate of speed when it ran into a brick pillar and iron fence outside a condominium in the city's Buckhead area on Sept. 29.
Snyder, a 25-year-old from Elmira, Ont., was the passenger.
The posted speed limit on the road was 56 km/h. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Heatley's car was travelling between 100 and 130 km/h. He would not be more specific.
"Citizens must be held accountable when they ignore traffic laws, which are there to protect and safeguard all of us," Howard said as he announced the grand jury indictment.
"All of us have driven too fast at one time or another, but this case involves extreme speed in relationship to this curving, well-travelled road in a residential area."
Heatley is charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, second-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane and speeding.
Howard said he would be amenable to a plea agreement. He did not say what he would consider an appropriate sentence.
He said he and defence lawyer Ed Garland spoke about the case Thursday, but would not say if they discussed a plea deal. Garland did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment.
There is no mandatory prison sentence for these crimes, giving the judge considerable discretion, Howard said. A sentence of probation is one option for the judge, he added.
A preliminary hearing would be set later, Howard said.
Heatley broke his jaw and tore two ligaments in his knee in the crash. Snyder died a few days later from head injuries. Authorities said Heatley had consumed some alcohol, but was not intoxicated at the time of the wreck.
Heatley was in Canada on Friday preparing for the upcoming season, the team said. Heatley is slated to play for Canada in the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey. Training camp starts Aug. 20 in Ottawa.
After missing over half of the season recovering from his injuries, Heatley returned to the Thrashers in January and then led Canada to a world hockey championship gold medal in Prague in May.
Heatley was not immediately available for comment Friday. Howard said he would not seek to have Heatley held in jail. A call to Healtey's agent Stacey McAlpine by The Canadian Press was not immediately returned.
Snyder's mother is not opposed to the indictments, Howard said. She told Howard that she and her family do not want to be involved in the trial.
"This is clearly a tragic example for everyone, especially our young people, on how horrible the consequences can be for an innocent victim when a driver chooses to ignore common-sense safety rules," Howard said.
If convicted on all counts, the Calgary native faces up to 20 years in prison and fines totalling $5,000 US.
The charges came on the same day former St. Louis Blues winger Mike Danton pleaded guilty to a murder-for-hire plot, adding up to a forgettable day for the NHL.
Heatley, 23, was driving his black 2002 Ferrari convertible at a high rate of speed when it ran into a brick pillar and iron fence outside a condominium in the city's Buckhead area on Sept. 29.
Snyder, a 25-year-old from Elmira, Ont., was the passenger.
The posted speed limit on the road was 56 km/h. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Heatley's car was travelling between 100 and 130 km/h. He would not be more specific.
"Citizens must be held accountable when they ignore traffic laws, which are there to protect and safeguard all of us," Howard said as he announced the grand jury indictment.
"All of us have driven too fast at one time or another, but this case involves extreme speed in relationship to this curving, well-travelled road in a residential area."
Heatley is charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, second-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane and speeding.
Howard said he would be amenable to a plea agreement. He did not say what he would consider an appropriate sentence.
He said he and defence lawyer Ed Garland spoke about the case Thursday, but would not say if they discussed a plea deal. Garland did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment.
There is no mandatory prison sentence for these crimes, giving the judge considerable discretion, Howard said. A sentence of probation is one option for the judge, he added.
A preliminary hearing would be set later, Howard said.
Heatley broke his jaw and tore two ligaments in his knee in the crash. Snyder died a few days later from head injuries. Authorities said Heatley had consumed some alcohol, but was not intoxicated at the time of the wreck.
Heatley was in Canada on Friday preparing for the upcoming season, the team said. Heatley is slated to play for Canada in the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey. Training camp starts Aug. 20 in Ottawa.
After missing over half of the season recovering from his injuries, Heatley returned to the Thrashers in January and then led Canada to a world hockey championship gold medal in Prague in May.
Heatley was not immediately available for comment Friday. Howard said he would not seek to have Heatley held in jail. A call to Healtey's agent Stacey McAlpine by The Canadian Press was not immediately returned.
Snyder's mother is not opposed to the indictments, Howard said. She told Howard that she and her family do not want to be involved in the trial.
"This is clearly a tragic example for everyone, especially our young people, on how horrible the consequences can be for an innocent victim when a driver chooses to ignore common-sense safety rules," Howard said.
