Driver pleads guilty in crash that killed father of 3, spurred calls for tougher laws
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A driver in a head-on crash that killed a father of three last August pleaded guilty on Monday in the case that prodded the Ontario government to seek tougher dangerous driving penalties.
Jaiwin Kirubananthan pleaded guilty to five charges, including dangerous driving causing death. Monday was scheduled to be the first day of the trial in Newmarket.
Andrew Cristillo, 35, was killed in the Aug. 3 crash in Whitchurch-Stouffville that also injured his wife and three young daughters.
His brother, Jordan Cristillo, called Monday’s plea “just the start of accountability and consequences.”
“What I want to see next is a sentence that really reflects egregiousness, recklessness, and tragedy that this individual caused for my brother, for his three daughters, and for his wife, Christina,” he said in an interview.
The maximum sentence for dangerous driving causing death is life imprisonment.
Kirubananthan’s lawyer said his client was “extra remorseful for the loss and tragedy that his actions caused.”
“He takes full responsibility for the resulting pain and suffering,” lawyer Barry Fox said in a statement.
At the time of the crash, 18-year-old Kirubananthan was already facing another dangerous driving charge from an incident involving Premier Doug Ford months earlier. Police allege he hit an Ontario Provincial Police vehicle carrying Ford on Highway 401 in January 2025.
The premier met with Cristillo’s family after the August crash and introduced legislation in November to bring in stricter dangerous driving penalties.
The law, named for Cristillo, would impose lifetime licence suspensions for anyone convicted of dangerous driving causing death, allow police to immediately suspend a driver’s licence for 90 days and impound their vehicle if they are suspected of driving dangerously, and increase fines and vehicle impoundment periods for driving with a suspended licence.
Jordan Cristillo said his brother’s wife and daughters continue to work on their physical recovery from the crash, but the emotional toll will last a lifetime.
“I’m committed to see justice for my brother and to make sure that his legacy is one of protection for all of us on the road,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.