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Former Premier of Newfoundland Brian Tobin, (left) and wife Jodean Tobin (right) escort their son Jack Tobin (centre) out of Ottawa court following his release on bond for $100,000 for being charged in the death of a man in a Christmas Eve accident in Ottawa on Saturday, December 25, 2010.Pawel Dwulit/The Canadian Press

Alex Zolpis and Jack Tobin had been best friends for years - they attended Dalhousie University in Halifax together, their families lived near one another and they often celebrated together.

When it came time for Mr. Zolpis to commemorate the holidays and the completion of his university degree last week with a night on the town, Mr. Tobin joined him.

The young men spent the evening of Dec. 23 in bars near Ottawa's trendy ByWard Market neighbourhood. Early the next morning, just before 3 a.m., the two men and at least one other person returned to their rented pickup truck in a nearby parkade. They planned to have a drink of whisky at the truck before taking a cab home, two sources told CTV and The Globe and Mail.

Mr. Zolpis got out of the vehicle, though it's unclear why. Soon after, a driver (alleged now to have been Mr. Tobin) backed the truck up to park it, sources said. The driver got out to find Mr. Zolpis trapped underneath. Four days after writing his last exam, the 24-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr. Tobin, the son of former Newfoundland premier Brian Tobin, now faces three charges, including impaired driving causing death, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The ordeal has left both families grieving. Mr. Tobin, who is out on bail and barred from contacting most of his friends - including the victim's family - doesn't know whether he's allowed to attend his best friend's funeral.

"We cannot begin to describe our profound sadness as Alex and our son Jack have been the best of friends for many years. These two young men were very close. Alex's tragic death is devastating for two families," a Tobin family statement said, extending its heartfelt condolences to the Zolpis family.

Mr. Tobin, who is also 24, wept during a court hearing on Christmas Day before being released on $100,000 bail. He's now confined by court order to his parents' home in Manotick, Ont., near Ottawa, and is barred from drinking and from contacting most of his friends.

"He's in isolation, all alone there, feeling horrible obviously," said Mark Ertel, the prominent Ottawa defence lawyer representing Mr. Tobin. "He's devastated. He's not even thinking about himself. He's just thinking about his friend and his friend's family."

It's that family that can influence much of his fate. Mr. Ertel said a judge will ultimately consider the Zolpis's wishes in sentencing, if his client is found guilty. If convicted, Mr. Tobin faces years in prison - a plea for leniency from the family of the victim, his best friend, could dramatically reduce a sentence.

"They're mandated by the Criminal Code to bring into account the wishes of victims or the family of victims. You can imagine that could play out differently in a case where friends are involved," Mr. Ertel said in an interview.

Reached Sunday, a relative of Mr. Zolpis who was reached at her Edmonton home said that the family wasn't ready to speak publicly. Mr. Zolpis is from Ottawa, where his parents live.

Friends remembered Mr. Zolpis as an adventurous young man. One friend said he was outgoing and "loved to party."

"Alex was a great friend and will be missed," Brannyn Hale, a former classmate who last saw Mr. Tobin and Mr. Zolpis at a reunion in Toronto during the summer, said in a written statement. He's not yet been in touch with Mr. Tobin. "My thoughts are with him," Mr. Hale wrote.

"Alex was an unbelievable guy. Very ambitious and kind. Everybody loved him," added Ian Lenihan, another former Dalhousie classmate. He called his death "a horrible tragedy."

Mr. Tobin is a graduate of Dalhousie and had been working for a security firm in Toronto, where he lives. He will appear in court again next month.

His lawyer hopes the attention the case is expected to receive won't derail justice for Mr. Tobin. For instance, he said, it was widely and incorrectly reported his client was stunt driving - driving the truck in circles - on the top level of the parkade when Mr. Zolpis died.

"The system is more under the microscope and the attention the case brings probably hurts the person more than helps them," Mr. Ertel said. "The courts are supposed to, and are pretty good at, divorcing themselves from that sort of thing."

Brian Tobin is a former cabinet minister who served as a Liberal member of Parliament for 18 years and won two majorities in Newfoundland and Labrador before resigning as premier a decade ago. He now works as a business adviser with the law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP. He and his wife, Jodean, have three children, including Jack.

On Christmas Day, the former premier led his son from the court house. They stopped briefly to speak with reporters.

"We just want to express our - Jack's - deep, deep remorse for the loss of his friend Alex," Brian Tobin said, as Ms. Tobin wept quietly. "It is a tragedy for everybody involved and we can't add more."

With a report from The Canadian Press

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