After three separate juries failed to convict Jerry Gaines on homicide charges, he pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter.

Mr. Gaines, 23, of Penn Hills, was charged with the Sept. 6, 2006, shooting death of Lance Howard, 27, of Larimer.

The men were near Westinghouse Park in North Point Breeze when, Mr. Gaines' attorney said, Mr. Howard started a physical confrontation.

The two men struggled, attorney Patrick Nightingale said, and Mr. Gaines got the gun away from Mr. Howard. He fired it multiple times.

As part of the plea agreement with the Allegheny County district attorney's office, Mr. Gaines was given time served, to be followed by five years probation. He served 40 months in jail while awaiting adjudication on the charges, Mr. Nightingale said.

During Mr. Gaines' first trial, the jury found him not guilty of first- and third-degree murder, but deadlocked on voluntary manslaughter. He was retried on that count twice more.

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