SIMPSON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A man has been sentenced in connection to a Simpson County crash that caused the deaths of two high school seniors in 2021.

Vicksburg Daily News reported Joseph Franklin was sentenced to 50 years in prison with 30 years to serve and 20 years of supervised post release. He was convicted of aggravated driving under the influence causing death.

The two-vehicle crash happened around 7:30 a.m. on Highway 43 in Simpson County on February 12, 2021. Authorities said Damion Ford, 17, and Eric McKenney, Jr., 18, were killed in the crash. Two other teenagers were seriously injured in the crash.

According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP), evidence showed that Franklin had entered the lane of travel and collided with the teenagers’ vehicle.