BOSTON, Jan 12: Thomas Junta, the man accused of beating to death another father after an ice hockey practice, was convicted on Friday of involuntary manslaughter.

Thomas Junta, 43, was charged in the beating death of Michael Costin, 40, who was supervising a practice session in which both men’s children played.

Jurors deliberated about 13 hours after a weeklong trial that threw a spotlight on the problem of parental violence at youth sporting events and drew national attention in a country where youth sports are both wildly popular and fiercely competitive.

Involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. It is defined as an unintentional, unlawful killing that happened during the commission of a battery that Junta knew or should have known endangered human life. Jurors rejected the more serious charge of manslaughter.—Reuters