Man sentenced to 60 years in crash that killed 6

Pedro Alcazar testifies at his trial, claiming he did not cause the accident that killed two adults and four children.

YULEE, Fla. – A man convicted of causing a crash that killed six members of an extended family on U.S. Highway 1 north of Callahan in 2010 was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in prison.

Pedro Alcazar, 42, who represented himself, was found guilty of six counts of vehicular homicide in the deaths of two women and four children.

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Alcazar testified he car had a tire blowout, which caused him to crash.

The state, however, said his reckless driving caused him to have a blowout while he was spinning out of control. Prosecutors said he was speeding and driving erratically.

THE VICTIMS: LEFT: Brenda MitchellEdwards, 57, of Jacksonville, and Melissa Mitchell, 39, of Lawrenceville,Ga. RIGHT: MiyaMitchell 11, of Lawrenceville, DhanjaMitchell, 16, of Jacksonville, and 4-year-old twins Christian and Keyshawn Perry, ofLawrenceville

The crash happened just before 5 p.m. April 2, 2010, near Kelly's RV Park, about five miles north of Callahan.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, all the victims who died were riding in a four-door Nissan.

The driver, 39-year-old Melissa Mitchell, of Lawrenceville, Ga., along with her 11-year-old daughter Miya and 4-year-old twin boys Christian and Keyshawn were killed in the wreck.

Brenda Mitchell Edwards, 57, of Jacksonville, who was the front-seat passenger and Mitchell's mother, and her 16-year-old granddaughter D'hanja also died in the crash.

Investigators said a Chevrolet Camaro, driven by Alcazar, was headed south at a high speed and attempted to pass the victims' vehicle.

Troopers said the Camaro sideswiped the Nissan, causing it to lose control and overturn.

A pickup truck pulling a flatbed trailer heading north swerved to avoid the dust, went into the median and ran over the victims' vehicle, according to the FHP report.