INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Nearly a year after a grandfather and granddaughter were killed while they were training for a charity bike ride, a jury acquitted a man police said was responsible for their deaths.

Prosecutors charged William K. Johnson, 49, of Grandview, Mo., with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deaths of Larry Gaunt, 59, and his 14-year-old granddaughter, Sierra Gaunt.

The two were cycling on Raytown Road last August when they were struck and killed by Johnson's pickup.

Johnson took the stand Wednesday in a Jackson County courtroom and immediately began to cry.

Williams was taking his 11-year-old son to football practice at the time of the wreck.

Prosecutors argued Johnson was speeding and not paying attention. His defense attorneys said is was just an accident.

His son also testified.

The jury deliberated for several hours before making its decision.

If convicted, Johnson could have been sentenced to one to seven years behind bars for each count.