Relatives of Sharen May were visibly shaken yesterday as her husband of 13 years calmly pleaded not guilty to fatally stabbing her in a San Mateo office building after a failed bid to mediate their divorce.
A bearded and bespectacled Lawrence May, 48, quietly entered the plea while members of his wife's family openly sobbed in the front row of the court. He stood with his hands behind his back and at one point perched his glasses on the top of his head.
His demeanor was a sharp contrast to his initial court appearance in which he cried and appeared unkempt. May was composed in later appearances. He will return to court Sept. 21 for a preliminary hearing on the evidence and his attorney said psychiatric issues will be considered in any trial.
The lengthy delay is because a large amount of evidence must be sifted through by attorneys, said prosecutor Sean Gallagher. That hearing is expected to last a full day.
May will probably be evaluated for competency and sanity, said defense attorney Cliff Cretan.
On March 25, the Daly City man was still clutching his wife's dead body when police arrived at the San Mateo office building where the couple were trying to work out the details of their divorce. May was reportedly crying and saying "I'm sorry" as paramedics tried to save his 40-year-old wife. Authorities still haven't said where May got the scissors used in the attack.
The murder occurred about 15 minutes after Lawrence May left a court-ordered mediation session with his wife. Sharen May had filed for divorce and the couple was trying to arrange custody of their three young children. May, a psychiatric social worker for the county's Human Services Agency, had asked for an emergency restraining order because she feared her husband would abduct the children. A family law judge refused the offer, saying they were safe because they were already in their mother's custody.
Authorities said Lawrence May left the session and waited for his wife near the elevator. When she arrived at it, he reportedly ambushed her and stabbed her numerous times. The lying-in-wait charge could make him eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. District Attorney Jim Fox has yet to make the decision.
May remains in custody on no-bail status. The couple's children are staying with relatives.
Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 104. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
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