COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The driver accused of killing a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets and his brother appeared before a New Jersey judge Tuesday to enter a plea in the case against him. Sean Higgins, of Woodstown, New Jersey, appeared in Salem County Superior Court for a post-indictment arraignment hearing, where a plea of not guilty was entered by council on his behalf. He is facing six charges, including vehicular homicide. You can see a report on the indictment in the video player above. Defense lawyers waived the reading of the indictment and told the judge that a plea offer was made to Higgins on Dec. 23. The offer was that if Higgins pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated manslaughter, the state would recommend a 15-year prison sentence on both counts, of which he would have to serve 25 1/2 years. Formal charges filed in deaths of Gaudreau brothers In addition, for pleading guilty to leaving the scene of a fatal accident, the state would have recommended a five-year sentence to be served consecutively. Defense council notified Judge Michael Silvanio that it intended to file a motion to dismiss certain counts of the indictment and the sides will reconvene in court on Feb. 4. The arraignment followed a series of hearings after the fatal accident on Aug. 29. Higgins, who was reported with a blood alcohol level of 0.087, struck Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, with his vehicle as the brothers were cycling after sunset on a road near Salem. The two were in New Jersey for the wedding of their sister, Katie. They were buried on Sept. 9 in Philadelphia, where Johnny's wife, Meredith, revealed she was pregnant. Matthew's wife also was pregnant when he was killed and has since given birth. New body camera footage shows arrest of driver accused of killing Gaudreau brothers The entire Blue Jackets program attended the service, and memorial tributes have been widespread across central Ohio and around the NHL. Higgins, 43 at the time of the accident, was remanded in September after a Salem County judge ruled he would remain in custody without bond. On Nov. 12 a pre-indictment conference took place and an extension was given to allow the sides to possibly reach a plea agreement. On Dec. 11, Higgins was officially indicted after a grand jury submitted charges of two counts of reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Attorneys for Sean Higgins, accused in the death of Columbus Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, pleads not guilty to six charges filed against him in New Jersey court of Common Pleas (Courtesy/New Jersey Courts)Sean M. Higgins, the driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears at the Salem County, N.J., Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Salem, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)Sean Higgins (Salem County Sheriff's Office)Sean M. Higgins, top, the alleged drunken driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road, appears before Judge Michael Silvanio, for his hearing via video from jail, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Woodbury, N.J. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 10: The videoboard honors brothers Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau prior to the start of the season opener between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on October 10, 2024 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)The family of Johnny Gaudreau gather at centrer ice prior before an NHL hockey game between with Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets in Calgary, Alberta, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau's family watches a #13 banner being raised during a ceremony before the start of an NHL hockey game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 10: Brothers Johnny Gaudreau #13 and Matthew Gaudreau #21 of the Boston College Eagles celebrate after the Eagles beat the Northeastern University Huskies to win their fifth Beanpot Championship in a row in NCAA hockey action in the championship game of the annual Beanpot Hockey Tournament at TD Garden on February 10, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) Police said Higgins was driving behind an SUV that had drifted to the center of the road to give clearance to the brothers. Higgins pulled to the right shoulder to pass the SUV and struck the two. Higgins said he had drank five or six beers before the crash, and he failed a series of sobriety tests at the scene. Higgins told police he did not see the brothers. Silvanio said this was an indication of his reckless and road-rage behavior, which was documented in statements made by Higgins’ wife and witnesses at the scene. Prosecutors noted that while Higgins was at the scene once police arrived, he reportedly attempted to discard evidence after he got out of his car a quarter-mile away.