Driver who killed Ontario father of 3 pleads guilty

The driver who struck and killed an Ontario father of three last summer has pleaded guilty.

At a courthouse in Newmarket, Ont., on Monday, Jaiwin Kirubananthan pleaded guilty to five charges, including dangerous driving causing death, fleeing the scene, and three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm in connection with the August crash.

Andrew Cristillo was driving on Highway 48 in Whitchurch-Stouffville on the night of Aug. 3 with his wife and three young daughters when Kirubananthan, who was 18 at the time, collided with his vehicle. Cristillo was killed in the head-on collision. His wife and three young daughters were injured.

Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Andrew’s brother Jordan said that while Kirubananthan’s plea marks a “step forward” towards justice, he wants to see the maximum sentence of life imprisonment imposed.

“This individual still needs to be sentenced. And I want to be very clear, sympathy for criminals is cruelty for the victims, and I expect to see the sentence reflect the egregiousness, the recklessness, the conscious actions of this criminal,” he said.

Court documents show Kirubananthan was previously charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in connection with a January 2025 collision involving Ontario Premier Doug Ford. They also show Kirubananthan likely faced a 30-day driving ban following the crash, which is mandatory after a stunt driving charge, but was not arrested.

The premier has showed his support for “Andrew’s Law,” which would, among other things, introduce mandatory driving bans in Ontario for motorists charged with dangerous driving until their trial is complete.

A second trial on the crash with the premier’s vehicle is scheduled for another time.

“This individual should never have been on the road to begin with,” Jordan Cristillo said of the proposed law on Monday.

“How could someone be back on the road (in) that short period of time after hitting one of the highest public figures in Canada? It exposed a big gap in our system, and Andrew’s Law is here to close that gap.”

The legislative change is currently moving through the legislature.

‘We’re living a nightmare’

Asked how Cristillo’s family is doing nine months after the crash, Jordan said while their physical injuries have healed, they may never recover emotionally.

“We’re living a nightmare...You have three little girls that have to grow up without a father. You have his loving wife who has to raise these kids while also dealing with their own health conditions without her best friend by her side,” he said.

“The girls are beyond strong. Just like their mother, the strongest woman I’ve ever met. They’re healing physically from their injuries. What concerns me is the life sentence that they’ve been given because of this criminal.”

With files from CTV News Toronto’s Jon Woodward