An Ocean Beach man has pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of a vacationing Canadian couple in Point Loma on Jan. 19, 2022.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, but Kevin William Thomer, 36, was speeding when he struck Jerome Zimmer, 71, and Madelyn Zimmer, 69, near 5000 North Harbor Drive just west of Nimitz Boulevard.

Thomer reportedly drove at 75 mph in a 40 mph zone and both victims were killed instantly.

Thomer is a licensed registered nurse and the California Board of Registered Nursing unsuccessfully petitioned a judge to restrict his nursing practice in a hospital operating room while his case is pending, according to court records. San Diego Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein denied the motion on June 10.

Thomer will be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2023. He remains free on a $50,000 bond.

The maximum sentence is four years in state prison. Court records say that “the judge will consider” a sentence of work furlough, some other type of program that is an alternative to jail, along with jail or prison.

The District Attorney’s office will argue for at least a one-year jail term, according to records.

Thomer did not leave the scene of the collision and Harbor Police officers arrested him afterward. Four investigating officers testified at his preliminary hearing on Sept. 29 and he was ordered to stand trial on the charges he later pleaded guilty to committing.

Jerome and Madelyn Zimmer are survived by their four children, spouses, and 11 grandchildren. A celebration of their lives was held on March 26 at St. Albert’s Catholic Parish in Alberta, Canada.

Jerome Zimmer was a longtime educator in a Catholic school system, according to his obituary.

“Through their actions, mom and dad made the world a kinder and more loving place,” read the couples’ obituary.