Simi Valley resident Kevin Cunningham decided to  plea guilty Wednesday in the middle of his trial for smacking a friend in the back of the head with a skateboard and causing serious head trauma.

Prosecutor Richard Simon said today that Cunningham will be sentenced to eight years in prison.

Simon said Cuningham pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and violating his probation for theft of a firearm.

Cunningham's lawyer David Lehr said five years was tacked on his client's sentence because he has a prior felony conviction for theft of a firearm.

Lehr said Cunningham had offered to plead guilty before the trial and agreed to serve seven years in prison. But that offer was rejected by Simon until Wednesday when Simon agreed to an eight year sentence, according to Lehr.

"We took it," said Lehr.

Simon said Cunningham was looking at the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison for attacking Jonathan Hill Kennedy, 22, on May 18, 2011.

Kennedy testified that Cunningham had confronted and accused Kennedy of "forcing" himself on Cunningham's girlfriend.

The Simi Valley resident said his skull was fractured in several places.  He testified that he suffered bleeding of the brain, and it took 53 staples to close up the laceration.

Lehr said Kennedy lied on the stand, saying Cunningham is "the nicest guy I've met in a long time."

Simon said Cunningham will be sentenced on May 30.