ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- A man accused in a murder for hire plot last June has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Officials say Mark Lee tried to hire a woman to kill a former friend. She in turn notified police after refusing to carry the plot out.

Lee was originally charged with felony criminal solicitation, but the Onondaga County District Attorney's office says they could only prove Lee tried to hire someone to commit a felony, not murder. He wound up pleading guilty to criminal solicitation, a misdemeanor.

Lee will be sentenced in July to six months in prison.