Judge sentences Austin Deir to three years in prison for 2024 crash that claimed two young lives
Austin Deir has been sentenced to three years in prison for dangerous driving causing the deaths of two young women just over two years ago. The judge delivered his sentence in Clarenville provincial court this morning.
It was an emotional morning for the heartbroken families of Haley Keating and Erin Pretty, the 22-year-old friends whose lives were suddenly taken just over two years ago. There was a heavy police presence outside the courthouse as the judge sentenced the 73-year-old to a federal sentence, while also imposing a four-year driving prohibition on the Mount Pearl man.
The young women were in a car that was hit head-on by an SUV that drifted into their lane on the TCH near Arnold’s Cove in January of 2024. Deir was initially charged with impaired and dangerous driving causing both deaths. However, the impaired charges were later dropped after the Crown failed to prove he was above the legal limit.
The victims’ families have expressed their outrage throughout the court proceedings. In October, family members swarmed the man as he entered court, expressing their anger, leading to a larger police presence. The families voices, though, were heard inside the courtroom in late 2025, through victim impact statements, expressing how Deir’s actions devastated their lives.
NTV is covering the story and will have more this evening at 5:30 and 6.