KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —  A Knoxville jury Thursday convicted a teacher's husband of reduced charges in the love triangle slaying of his wife's teenage lover.

Eric McLean was found guilty of reckless homicide rather than first-degree murder.

This means he faces a maximum of two to four years in prison, much less than the mandatory 51 years in prison for first-degree murder.

After the verdict was read, he excitedly hugged his attorney.

McLean was charged in last year's shooting of his wife's 18-year-old lover Sean Powell, her former student, outside the McLeans' Knoxville home.

The 33-year-old McLean testified he only wanted to scare Powell away when he approached him with a high-powered rifle. He said the youth grabbed the barrel, and as McLean pulled back the gun went off.

The jury deliberated eleven hours over two days.