Bond set at $10,000 for Marquette student charged in teammates’ deaths

By Shane Colpoys
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Sept. 5 car crash that claimed the lives of two Marquette lacrosse players involved two drivers: Amandria Brunner and Peter McColgan.

McColgan, 22, made his initial court appearance in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on July 16, a month after a jury found Brunner, 42, not guilty for her role in the crash that sparked a public outcry over reckless driving.

The former Marquette lacrosse player faces two counts of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle that killed his teammates, Scott Michaud, 19, and Noah Snyder, 20. In Wisconsin, this charge carries a fine up to a $25,000 and up to 10 years in jail.

Before a packed courtroom, Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Michelle Havas set a $10,000 signature bond for McColgan’s pre-trial release, higher than District Attorney Emily Zimmel‘s recommendation of $5,000.

Havas said she believed this amount was appropriate given that McColgan lives out of state, does not have a criminal history and has cooperated with negotiation up until this time.

The next court date is set for a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 12.

“I look out at an extremely crowded court with people here supporting you,” Havas said. “I do take into consideration that there is not an ongoing concern, necessarily for community safety, but that may change as things develop as more facts become known.”

A commissioner set a $75,000 cash bail for Brunner’s pre-trial release on Sept. 10, five days after the crash.

Brunner was arrested on the scene the day of the deadly crash, with a blood alcohol level of 0.133, nearly twice the legal limit.

She was unable to post bail and stayed in jail for nine months until the start of her trial. During that time, McColgan was finishing his senior year at Marquette. He graduated in May and was charged on May 20.

He is represented by attorney Nicole Masnica.

McColgan appeared in court in a navy suit. He was accompanied by his family and several members of the Marquette lacrosse team and athletics program.

What happened in the crash?

The crash occurred around 5 p.m. on Sept. 5. at an intersection at North 27th and West St. Paul Avenue, involving two vehicles, a Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Ranger pickup truck.

McColgan, the driver of the Jeep, had a total of six people in the car, including his two teammates that died. Brunner, the driver of the Ford, was alone in her vehicle.

The criminal complaint says Brunner attempted to make a left turn on a yellow light through the intersection when her vehicle collided with the Jeep as it was entering the intersection at a high rate of speed. The two vehicles hit driver wheel to driver wheel before the Jeep spun and hit pole.

A reconstruction engineer testified at Brunner’s trial that the impact McColgan’s Jeep had with the pole after it collided with Brunner’s pickup was more powerful than the collision it had with her vehicle.

McColgan told police moments after the collision that he had been driving 30 mph, consistent with the speed limit in the area when the Ford turned left in front of him, according to the complaint.

Data downloaded from the Jeep’s Airbag Control Module indicated the Jeep’s accelerator was 100% depressed and that the vehicle was driving at 53 mph when the cars collided. Michaud and Snyder were in the back seat at the time and pronounced dead on the scene.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner later confirmed both causes of death were due to multiple blunt force injuries.

What happened to the other driver?

A jury acquitted Brunner on all six counts of homicide during her four-day trial that ended on June 18.

Defense attorneys Abigail Ruckdashel and Dustan Davidson argued that the crash would’ve happened even if Brunner was sober, adding that it was the result of the McColgan’s speed that caused the two deaths.

McColgan briefly appeared on the stand during Brunner’s trial, while the jury was on a break, in response to a subpoena by the defense seeking his testimony, but he pled the fifth.