Teen gets 65-year sentence in DUI crash that killed 6 members of Georgia family

(By Our Staff Reporter) : : ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A Texas teenager was sentenced to serve 65 years in prison Tuesday for the deadly December 2023 crash that killed six members of the same family. The Texas Department of Public Safety said the deadly wreck happened when 18-year-old Luke Resecker was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and swerved into oncoming traffic, where he collided head-on with a Honda Odyssey. Everyone inside the Odyssey was from Alpharetta, Georgia, other than the driver, who was a cousin to the family. The crash happened a day after Christmas on U.S. 67 just south of Forth Worth, when investigators said Resceker, who was high under the influence of marijuana, tried to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone and veered into the northbound lanes. The driver of the Odyssey tried to avoid the Silverado, but Resecker collided into the front part of the Odyssey. The occupants inside the vehicle were identified as Naveena Potabathula, 36, Nageswararao Ponnada, 64, Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60, Kruthik Potabathula, 10, and Nishidha Potabathula, 9, all from Alpharetta, Georgia. Rushil Barri, who was driving the Honda minivan, was also killed in the crash. Resecker, who recently turned 19, pleaded not guilty to his charges on Oct. 21 but was convicted of all 14 charges on Oct. 27. Those charges include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury, six counts of driving while intoxicated, six counts of manslaughter, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The maximum sentence Resecker faced for his charges was more than 125 years in prison. A judge sentenced him to serve 65 years in prison. Alpharetta resident and 26-year-old Lokesh Potabathula was the only one who survived the crash but underwent several surgeries. He suffered a broken arm and ankles, as well as injuries to his neck and spine, which may result in him not walking again. His wife, two young children, father-in-law, mother-in-law and cousin were all killed