A Mississippi man who was charged with second degree murder in the death of a 25-year-old man who was beat in the head with a metal pipe has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated assault.

Dedric C. Perkins, 40, of Bogue Chitto, accepted the offer by the state, according to District Attorney Dee Bates.

Perkins was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in the state penitentiary, nine suspended with six to serve. Perkins was also assessed fines and restitution fees, according to Bates.

In July 2018, Perkins was charged with murder in connection of the death of 25-year-old Corbitte Smith, a Franklin County man living in Bogue Chitto, who died almost a week following an altercation at Bogue Chitto Truck Stop.

According to Bates, Perkins was involved in a verbal altercation with another man when Smith got involved. The altercation turned into a fist fight, part of which was captured on security video. At some point in the fight, Perkins allegedly took a piece of metal piping he found nearby and struck Smith in the head with it.

The next day, Smith was transported to University Medical Center in Jackson, where he died days later from injuries sustained, including a fractured skull. Perkins was then arrested and charged.