Drunk driver gets five years in decapitation of pal
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ORILLIA – A drunk driver who was “reckless, headlong, heedless, and irresponsible” has been sentenced to five years in prison for causing the death and decapitation of his cousin and best friend.
Tyson Lawlor, now 22, was 20 when he drove drunk after leaving a bar with his friends on November 20, 2015. While drinking “roadies” along the way, he swerved into a ditch and crashed into a tree on a back road near Orillia at around 2 a.m.
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Court heard Lawlor and two other friends went hysterical when they looked into the back seat and saw 20-year-old Ellen Silk’s decapitated body slumped over a case of beer.
“This could have been a poster for Mother’s Against Drunk Driving,” Crown attorney Bhavna Bhangu said.
The horrific scene was described in news stories and caused a flurry of angry social media comments and emails by people outraged that the graphic details were printed – but the victim’s family stood by the media reports.
“I get that many of you believe it is a ‘family’ matter or that I don’t need to read it,” said Silk’s grieving sister, April. “The truth is, I do. You do. Everyone does. This is the reality.
“This is what could happen when you drink and drive or get in the car with an impaired driver.”
In an interview after the sentencing, which included a 10-year driving prohibition for Lawlor, April said she had hoped her sister’s tragic story would be a “wake-up call” to all would-be drunk drivers.
But in a horrible twist, about seven months after the tragedy, a 19-year-old in the same group of friends, Noah Poisson, was charged with drunk driving causing the death of his friend, Parker Pautsch, 19, who was ejected during a rollover – just kilometres from where Silk was killed.
“Nothing changes,” April said, sadly.
She said it would have been easier on her and her family if Lawlor had pleaded guilty instead of choosing to try to beat the charges, which caused a lengthy trial.
The Crown had sought a seven-year prison sentence.
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