A Mississauga man who pleaded guilty in connection to a 2007 car crash that killed two women will learn his sentence on Sept. 21.
Brian Machado, 31, appeared in a Brampton court Monday for a sentencing hearing on two counts of dangerous driving causing death.
Machado and his younger brother Steven were arrested in October 2007 after being accused of speed racing down Highway 50, near Castlemore Road, in Brampton. Steven lost control of his vehicle, causing a chain of collisions that ended in a seven-car pileup.
Steven, 26, has been in prison since pleading guilty in 2009 to two counts of criminal negligence causing death. A judge found the Machado brothers had not been racing and sentenced him to nearly two years in jail.
Best friends Mariarosa Dalsass, 44, and Cynthia Dougherty, 49, were riding in a car together and were almost instantly killed when they were hit. Several others were injured in the crash north of Highway 407.
Dougherty's husband watched the crash from his rear view mirror and recalled what he witnessed for the court on Monday.
"I heard the sound from behind that got my attention," he said. "It was Cindy's car exploding into pieces. I'll never forget what I saw. My whole life changed in a flash."
Dougherty described his wife as a very loving and giving person who people loved to have around. He said, "God may forgive Brian Machado, but I will not."
Dalsass's husband, Murray Osborne, said he dropped to his knees and burst into tears when he arrived at the scene and realized his wife was dead.
"I do not recall if I uttered any sounds but it was the worst feeling I have ever encountered and I cannot put into words," Osborne told the court on Monday.
He said that the family and friends of his wife have been given a life sentence to deal with her death -- a sentence that has no chance of parole and is one the Supreme Court can never overturn.
During Brian's case, the court heard that the brothers were going more than 100 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. Two cars belonging to the Machados, an Audi and a BWM, were seized under the province's anti-street racing legislation.
The Crown is asking Machado to be sentenced to two years less a day house arrest, plus three years probation with driving restrictions. The defence is asking for one year of house arrest.
Brian also addressed the courtroom on Monday, saying "There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about October 6, 2007 and the families of Ms. Dougherty and Ms. Dalsass. Please believe that I am sincere when I say that I am truly sorry."
With a report from CTV Toronto's Tamara Cherry.
