Supreme Court overturns conviction in 'wedgie' shooting

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Utah Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a man who killed an acquaintance after repeated teasing.

Prosecutors say Erik Kurtis Low shot Michael Hirschey with a .357 magnum after Hirschey gave Low a wedgie in 2003. The two men were in a group of people using cocaine at Hirschey's apartment. Witnesses say throughout the night Low was the target of jokes and insults.

Low was charged with murder, but a Summit County jury convicted him of the lesser charge of manslaughter in 2005. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Low appealed his conviction, saying the jury never should have been given the option of convicting him of the lesser charge.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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