A car mechanic playing recreational soccer has agreed to a plea deal that would land him 8 to 15 years in jail for killing a referee with a single punch during a game, a defense lawyer said on Friday.

Lawyer Cyril Hall said his client Bassel Saad has agreed to either plead guilty or no contest to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors confirmed they expect a plea.

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Saad, 36, is facing second-degree murder charges for killing John Bieniewicz, 44, in June last year. His trial was set to start Monday in Michigan's Wayne County Circuit Court.

The defendant, a resident of Dearborn, could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty as charged.

The defense lawyer said it did not make sense to risk trial when his client "did the math."

The victim's widow, Kris Bieniewicz, said this week she wanted Saad to never "see the light of day."

She added that a life in prison for the defendant would show the world that justice has been served and her husband's life meant something.

The widow's husband died after he suffered a single punch from the defendant while serving as referee in an adult league match at Livonia's Mies Park.

Several players told the court judge that, on June 29 last year, Saad already received a yellow card -- an official warning -- after a foul in the first half of the soccer match. The referee, John Bieniewicz, was about to hand the defendant a second yellow for being vocally abusive. It was that moment when the accused hit the referee, witnesses said. The victim lost his life two days later.

Two yellow cards in the same match means a player will be taken out of the game.

The referee's widow had supported proposed legislation filed at Michigan's Capitol supports that would make it a crime to hit a sports official in the state.