Oakland man to get 6 years in prison for killing neighbor

OAKLAND A -year-old man has agreed to a six-year prison sentence for killing his neighbor over what police say was a misunderstanding Herschol Howell pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of -year-old Billy G Attaway Jr As part of a plea deal prosecutors are dropping a murder charge against him Related Articles State charges trio in ID theft scheme that targeted Bay Area counties Man sentenced in murder incident after concerns of political meddling by former DA Pamela Price Suspect arrested in Walnut Creek bank robbery Oakland s Boundary Brothers gang suspected in two assaults on cops Oakland police ID man killed in rental car Howell who has been in jail since will be formally sentenced on May He has served almost all of his prison term already with credit for time served and good behavior court records show Attaway was stabbed to death on Aug in the block of th Avenue in East Oakland Police disclosed at the time the two argued over a woman but that the whole thing was a misunderstanding Howell also reportedly notified police that he had stabbed Attaway in self-defense Howell is no stranger to jail or prison this is his seventh felony conviction According to court records Howell has an August conviction for sexual battery by restraint a June forcible rape conviction a June sexual battery by restraint conviction an October assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury conviction a June assault with a deadly weapon by means likely to produce great bodily injury conviction and a January conviction for assault with intent to commit a sex crime He received prison terms for all but the assault conviction for which he got probation and is a registered sex offender government commented Staff writer Harry Harris contributed reporting