Olympic skier Julie Parisien says the man who killed her older brother in a 1992 drunken driving accident also destroyed her skiing career.
Derek Bonney, 31, of nearby Paris was sentenced to four years in jail Thursday for manslaughter and drunken driving in the 1992 highway death of Jean Paul Parisien.Parisien was the older brother of Olympic skiers Julie, Anna and Robbie Parisien, all of Auburn, Maine. Julie Parisien and her father, Dr. Victor Parisien, attended the court proceedings.
Before the sentencing, Julie Parisien said that J.P's death had ruined her skiing career.
"He was the motivator for me and my sister. I performed for him because his reaction was always the greatest and the strongest," Julie Parisien said.
Julie, 22, won three World Cup races in as many seasons before her brother's death sent her tumbling in the world standings. She announced this week she was taking off the remainder of the 1994 World Cup season and may not go back at all. She said her younger sister, Anna, probably will retire from skiing at the end of the year.
In a statement to the court Thursday, Julie said, "This (accident) has ended a potentially lucrative career for me . . . My brother was my mentor, my idol, my biggest coach. Since the accident I haven't been able to race competitively."