MARTINEZ — A San Pablo man was sentenced to 4 years in jail for killing one other man throughout an argument as a part of a plea deal prosecutors provided whereas admitting they'd have been hard-pressed to beat a self-defense declare if the case went to trial.
Don Lee King, 36, pleaded no contest to manslaughter within the stabbing loss of life of 40-year-old Hubert Taylor III, a Bay Space resident who left behind 4 kids, in line with a GoFundMe account arrange after his killing. King was formally sentenced April 25, the identical day he entered the plea. He was transferred on Might 10 to North Kern State Jail, the place he’ll be assessed and re-classified to a different corrections facility.
King was initially charged with homicide, however that rely was dropped as a part of the plea deal. King’s lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Garth McCardle, mentioned in an electronic mail that prosecutors had initially overcharged the case “primarily based on data that turned out to be false.”
“The proof confirmed Mr. King was not the preliminary aggressor, was injured, and defended himself. Surveillance video proved the incident lasted roughly 90 seconds, opposite to statements made by witnesses the DA relied on when bringing expenses,” McCardle mentioned.
Taylor was fatally stabbed in December 2021. His physique was present in a vacant lot close to Fillmore Road and Rumrill Boulevard in San Pablo. Police mentioned on the time that King and Taylor knew one another and the murder stemmed from an argument over “private property.”
Requested why the plea deal was struck, the Contra Costa District Legal professional’s Workplace launched a press release by Deputy District Legal professional Jennifer Tompkins saying there have been “evidentiary shortcomings” that might have made it troublesome to beat a self-defense declare at trial.
“We're required to show that the defendant dedicated the homicide — and did so with out performing in lawful self-defense,” the assertion says. “Considering the probability of convincing 12 jurors that the defendant was responsible past an inexpensive doubt, we regrettably needed to negotiate a sentence to safe a conviction whereas acknowledging the evidentiary shortcomings.”
King’s deal consists of credit score for the 16 months he spent in county jail awaiting decision in his case.