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Here's a longer version from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

ALBANY — A transvestite who pumped industrial silicone into other men to give them feminine features has pleaded guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter in the death of an Alabama man who died of complications from the injections, authorities say.

Stephen Thomas, 31, has been sentenced to 15 years, five to be served in prison, for illegally injecting silicone sealer available in hardware stores into Andre Geter. He entered the plea and was sentenced Monday.

Geter, 23, of Montgomery, Ala., died of blood poisoning in December, 2003.

Three others -- Marcrae Edwards, 23, Freddie Clyde, 22, and Kontavius Parks, 23, all of Albany -- await trial on conspiracy charges for allegedly assisting Thomas in hosting "pumping parties" for drag queens. They are all free on bond.

Thomas and the others were arrested last April. He was charged with felony murder, but prosecutors allowed him to plead guilty to the felony manslaughter charge in a plea agreement.

Since those involved were willing participants and there was no intent to kill, prosecutors decided that a plea of felony involuntary manslaughter was appropriate, Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg Edwards said Friday.

Geter suffered convulsions and fell unconscious after receiving injections in the hips and buttocks during a pumping party in Albany. He died a month later.

His death threw a spotlight on "pumping," a thriving underground practice among men living as women, particularly those who compete in beauty pageants and perform in drag shows. Pumping parties are typically held in motel rooms or apartments.

While medical-grade silicone is implanted under the skin in sealed sacs to keep it from leaking, pumping involves injecting silicone straight into the body.

The industrial version is not sterile and can cause infections, particularly in the lungs.

Experts say the silicone is often mixed with paraffin, oil, even peanut butter.

But in Geter's case, it was probably mixed with baby oil, based on how it smelled to others who received the injections, said James Paulk, an investigator with the Dougherty County District Attorney's Office.

There was so much silicone in Geter's body that when incisions were made during the autopsy, a clear, brownish liquid flowed out, Paulk said.

Edwards said the three co-conspirators assisted Thomas by providing rides to the pumping parties and handing him instruments during the illegal procedures. In return, Thomas, who charged $300 to $400 for the injections, gave them free injections, the prosecutor said.