A judge said the potential defense included details he found "distasteful" but was still going ahead with the plea deal.
DUBLIN — A 36-year-old San Leandro man was sentenced to three years he has already served and released from jail in a plea deal over the stabbing death of his roommate, but not until after he heard from the victim’s family in court.
The defendant, James Barton Lee, was originally charged with murder in 2021 for killing his roommate, James May, in a stabbing on the 300 block of Dutton Avenue in San Leandro. Lee would later claim self-defense, alleging that May had attacked him and was attempting to drag him into his bedroom, court records show.
As part of the deal, Lee pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and prosecutors dropped the murder charge. He was formally sentenced to three years in prison and three years probation, but since he’s been in jail since 2021, the prison term has already been completed.
May’s mother, stepmom and father spoke out at the sentencing, with his mother describing May as a loving family man whose pastor immediately knew there was a problem on the day of the homicide when May failed to show up to church.
His stepmom, Lynn May, called the stabbing “totally unnecessary” and noted that none of the other roommates were present when it occurred.
“If you felt threatened to the point that you had to use a knife to stab James, surely once would have been enough to stop the assault, not the 37 stabs you inflicted,” Lynn May said in a letter to the court.
At the time of Lee’s arrest, police said they found James May lying in a pool of blood and that Lee was the one who called police to report May had attacked him. He told responding officers, “I’m afraid I killed him,” and officers noted that May had “several” stab wounds to his back and neck. He was declared dead in his bedroom, court records show.
Lee’s lawyer filed a failed motion for bail claiming that May had attacked another roommate before.
Ron May, James May’s father, said in a letter to the court that he has struggled with learning details of the crime and that their family has been fractured.
“When you killed my son, you made life more difficult for all his family,” May said. “It will take three generations for James’ descendants to get back fully to a full family again.”
