Summit man pleads guilty in 'wedgie' manslaughter

PARK CITY — A Summit County man whose manslaughter conviction over a "wedgie" was overturned has struck a plea deal with prosecutors.

During an appearance in 3rd District Court in Silver Summit on Monday, Erik Kurtis Low pleaded guilty to a single charge of reckless manslaughter, a second-degree felony. Low, 40, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing but waived it and pleaded to the amended charge, court records state.

He will be sentenced on Jan. 12.

Low was charged in 2003 with murder after he shot and killed 38-year-old Michael Hirschey. Low claimed it was self-defense after being teased and given a "wedgie" by Hirschey. He was convicted of manslaughter, but the Utah Supreme Court reversed it, saying the jury should have been given the option of convicting him on a lesser charge because of extreme emotional distress.