Rory Teiffel fronts court over double fatality in Wangaratta

A racing car enthusiast who crashed his high-powered Jeep, killing his brother and cousin, has been kicked out of the Brethren Church and banished from his family.

Rory Teiffel has gone to jail for crashing his Jeep at speed and killing his brother and cousin.

A boozed-up racing car enthusiast has been banished by his church after he killed his brother and cousin when he crashed speeding down a country road.

Rory Teiffel, 25, pleaded guilty in the County Court last month to two charges of culpable driving causing death and being above the limit within three hours of driving a motor vehicle.

Teiffel was jailed eight years and nine months on Monday and must serve at least five years and four months before he’s eligible for parole.

Judge Sarah Leighfield said as a result of Teiffel’s actions, he had been excluded by the Brethren Church whose members were not allowed to eat or directly engage with him.

Teiffel can speak to his parents and siblings but cannot share meals or attend socials with them.

Teiffel was speeding along Greta Rd in Wangaratta on April 9, 2023 when he lost control at a bend, smashing his Jeep against two trees before coming to a rest on its roof.

His cousin and front seat passenger Ryan Suggate, 26, died at the scene while Teiffel’s 16-year-old brother Denver succumbed to his injuries at the Royal Melbourne Hospital six days later.

The County Court has sent speeding driver Rory Teiffel to jail for killing two people after crashing his Jeep in Wangaratta.

The Suggate brothers from Beaconsfield and their sister spent the 2023 Easter long weekend with the Teiffels at Wangaratta where Teiffel spoke to them and others about his high-performance Jeep with eight gears and expressed pride over it.

“Your actions in entering the bend at such a high speed can only be categorised as criminally negligent, irrespective of whether you’re familiar with the road and or thought you’d be able to cope with the conditions in the car which you were driving,” Judge Leighfield said.

“You made a deliberate decision to speed over an extended period of time.”

Judge Leighfield said while Teiffel’s pleaded guilty at an early stage, showed remorse and had been excluded from the Brethren Church, a custodial sentence was warranted to deter others from offending in a similar way.

In her impassioned victim impact statement, Ryan Suggate’s mother Kerrie said her heart was broken for her whole family as they would never really get over losing someone whose joy in life was to make other people happy.

Kerrie Suggate said from the time he could get behind the wheel, Ryan insisted it was his responsibility to do all the driving whenever they were out as a family and he even paid for petrol.

“Often when out with friends, he’d be the designated driver, making sure everyone got home safe even if it meant them leaving their car and driving them home,” she said.

“He truly loved everyone he met and they loved him. His life here was cut far too short. And I am sure if this tragedy hadn’t taken place, he would be married now and have made a great husband and father.

“He was so needed for our family to function. It’s like I’ve lost another husband. We love you Ryan, and we’ll miss you always.”