DUBLIN — A 36-year-old San Leandro man was sentenced to three years in prison, which he has already served, and released following a plea deal in the stabbing death of his roommate, but not before hearing from the victim’s family in court.
The defendant, James Barton Lee, was originally charged with murder in 2021 for fatally stabbing his roommate, James May, in the 300 block of Dutton Avenue in San Leandro. Lee later claimed self-defense, alleging May attacked him and tried to drag him into his bedroom, according to court documents.
As part of the deal, Lee pleaded not guilty to voluntary manslaughter and prosecutors dropped the murder charge. He was formally sentenced to three years in prison and three years of probation, but since he has been in prison since 2021, his prison sentence has already ended.
May’s mother, stepmother and father spoke at the sentencing, with his mother describing May as a loving family man whose pastor immediately knew there was a problem the day of the killing when May failed to show up for church.
Her stepmother, Lynn May, called the attack “totally unnecessary” and noted that none of the other roommates were present when it happened.
“If you felt threatened enough to use a knife to stab James, surely one stab would have been enough to stop the attack, not the 37 stab wounds 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 it was Lee who called police to report that May had attacked him. He told responding officers, “I’m afraid I killed him,” and officers noted that May had “multiple” stab wounds to his back and neck. He was pronounced dead in his bedroom, according to court documents.
Lee’s attorney filed an unsuccessful bail motion, claiming that May had previously assaulted another roommate.
Ron May, James May’s father, said in a letter to the court that he had struggled to learn the details of the crime and that their family had been shattered.
“By killing my son, you have made life more difficult for his entire family,” May said. “It will take three generations for James’ descendants to be able to form a complete family again.”
