The driver of an SUV who killed two bike riders while he was high on drugs was sentenced to five-and-a-half to 11 years in prison Thursday, but not before asking forgiveness from the victims' families in a tearful statement.

Edwin Jones admitted to driving his SUV while high on Xanax tablets when he mowed down 21-year-old Veronique Archer and her 40-year-old fiancée Arthur Ashe as they rode their bicycles down Sunrise Highway in Oakdale. One of the bodies was thrown up on his hood as he drove for more than a quarter-mile before another motorist stopped him.

Jones asked for the families' and God's forgiveness in his statement, saying he never intended to harm anyone and was heartbroken over the incident. Jones will be eligible for parole in the summer of 2011.