Dorchester man pleads guilty in fatal gunfight

Ryan Gillespie got lucky: In a gunfight outside a baby shower, he killed his former girlfriend's current boyfriend before the guy could kill him.

Gillespie, 24, today pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Joseph Clarke on Norton Street on Jan. 6, 2008. By pleading guilty rather than risking conviction on his original second-degree murder charge, Gillespie got a sentence of 12 to 14 years, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

Prosecutors say both men attended the shower, which ran into the early morning and that when Clarke's girlfriend left to meet Clarke at his car, Gillespie followed:

In a confrontation outside, investigators believe, Clarke said that he didn't come to the party looking for trouble. Gillespie nonetheless produced a firearm, as did Clarke. The two men fired on one another. Clarke was struck in the head and died of his injuries; Gillespie was not hit.

In their victim witness statements, Clarke's family members - including his mother - say they forgave Gillespie and hoped he would find peace.

Gillespie in turn apologized to the family.

More details, statements from the DA's office.