Michigan man gets 40 years in prison in deaths of 5 cyclists

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – A man buzzed on painkillers and other drugs when his pickup truck plowed into a pack of Michigan bicyclists, killing five, was sentenced Monday to at least 40 years in prison after he tearfully expressed regret over the rural road tragedy.

"I'll live with this the rest of my life," Charles Pickett Jr. told a judge. "I would give my life for the people I murdered, killed and maimed, and I just want to say I'm sorry."

Nine people out on a recreational ride were members of a group called the "Chain Gang." They were hit on a two-lane road two years ago in southwestern Michigan's Cooper Township.

Pickett, 52, of Battle Creek didn't dispute that he had ingested drugs that day. A trial witness said he had attended a cousin's funeral and swallowed a handful. His lawyers, however, said second-degree murder charges were excessive.

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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/10/michigan-driver-to-be-sentenced-in-2016-deaths-5-cyclists.html