JENA, Louisiana (CNN) -- Mychal Bell, the 17-year-old black teenager whose arrest and detention led to the "Jena 6" protests, has agreed to a plea deal that could lead to his release by June, his lawyer said Monday.Bell was originally charged as an adult with attempted murder in an assault on a white fellow student, Justin Barker, at Jena High School in 2006.
He was convicted of second-degree battery, but the verdict was tossed out in September when an appeals court ruled that Bell, who was 16 at the time of the attack, should not have been tried as an adult. He still faced charges in the juvenile system.
Under the deal announced Monday, the LaSalle Parish District Attorney's Office agreed to drop charges of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery.
Bell agreed to plead guilty to second-degree battery.
He had to agree that he "hit Justin Barker, knocking him unconscious," a Bell attorney said.
Bell would be sentenced to 18 months of custody in an unsupervised setting, such as a group home or a halfway house.
In addition, Bell would be required to pay $935 to Barker's family and court costs, his lawyer said
He was convicted of second-degree battery, but the verdict was tossed out in September when an appeals court ruled that Bell, who was 16 at the time of the attack, should not have been tried as an adult. He still faced charges in the juvenile system.
Under the deal announced Monday, the LaSalle Parish District Attorney's Office agreed to drop charges of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery.
Bell agreed to plead guilty to second-degree battery.
He had to agree that he "hit Justin Barker, knocking him unconscious," a Bell attorney said.
Bell would be sentenced to 18 months of custody in an unsupervised setting, such as a group home or a halfway house.
In addition, Bell would be required to pay $935 to Barker's family and court costs, his lawyer said
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