'The Shield' Actor's Attorney Seeks Manslaughter Conviction

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney for a TV actor accused of killing his wife says a prosecutor is overselling her case and a first-degree murder conviction isn't warranted.

Defense lawyer Jamon Hicks told a Los Angeles jury Friday that Michael Jace acknowledges he killed his wife, but there isn't enough evidence that the actor planned the killing.

Hicks told jurors that what was going on in Jace's mind is crucial. He called the facts horrible but hoped jurors would listen to the argument that Jace didn't plan the attack.

Jace shot his wife three times in their Los Angeles home two years ago. At least part of the attack was within sight of their young sons.

Hicks says he's not seeking an acquittal but advocating a manslaughter conviction.

A jury of six men and six women will decide whether to convict Jace of first-degree murder or of a lesser charge such as voluntary manslaughter.

Jace played a police officer on series "The Shield" and small roles in films such as "Boogie Nights," "Forest Gump" and the TV show "Southland."

If convicted of first-degree murder, he faces 50 years to life in prison.