A Vicksburg man pleaded guilty to manslaughter Thursday in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old on New Year’s Eve 2009.

The plea ended the need for the murder trial that had been scheduled to begin in Warren County Circuit Court Monday.

Judge Isadore Patrick accepted the plea and immediately sentenced Deaunte Earl Lewis, 24, who lived at 713 Johnson St., to 20 years in prison, said District Attorney Ricky Smith.

Terry Tamal Robinson had been stabbed to death outside a home in the Waltersville Estates subdivision minutes before the start of 2010.

Robinson lived with his mother, Lisa King, and sister at 240 Tully St. He was a freshman at Warren Central High School.

He and Lewis had been attending the same New Year’s Eve gathering at 180 Walters St., where the resident was in a relationship with Lewis and had at least one child with him, police said at the time of Lewis’ arrest.

Robinson and Lewis got into a physical fight at the party, and Robinson, who police said tried to leave, was stabbed shortly after outside the residence, police said.

Lewis was then on probation for a 2006 conviction for aggravated assault, police said.

“It’s always good to put violent offenders behind bars for a very long time,” said Smith, who negotiated the plea with the approval of Robinson’s family and after discussions with defense attorney Michael Bonner. “We felt it best that we get a 20-year sentence with the plea, and keep the family from sitting through a trial and having to listen to what had happened to their family member.”

Five months after Robinson’s death, King led a rally of about 200 people through downtown streets to “stop the violence.”