MURDER DEFENDANT LAWRENCE MAY SAT EMOTIONLESS

By Kelly Pakula, Bay City News

January 25, 2006

Lawrence Edward May, the Daly City man accused of fatally stabbing his wife with a pair of scissors in a San Mateo elevator in 2004, didn't seem surprised to hear that he had been found guilty of first-degree murder today.

Before the 10 woman, two man jury filed into the San Mateo County courtroom this afternoon to announce the verdict, May, 50, chatted with his attorney Phil Barnett about how excited he was to get the chance to take educational courses in prison.

A smiling May talked about his love for the Czech Republic, math and a book he's currently reading on Malta, but not about the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a prison cell.

"I'm 50 years old. I've had a great life ... I can't complain," May said.

"I can't complain at all."

In addition to first-degree murder, May was found guilty of the special enhancement of lying in wait, which makes him eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced in March. He was also found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and inflicting great bodily injury.

"We felt confident the evidence supported first-degree murder," jury foreman Suzan Szollar said. May admitted to stabbing his estranged wife, Sharen Sulpizio May, 40, over 100 times with a pair of scissors following a child-custody mediation session in San Mateo on March 25.

Sulpizio May's sister, Susan Sulpizio, said May "is a liar" and was "verbally abusive" to her sister during their 13-year marriage.

"He's selfish. He doesn't care about anybody else," Sulpizio said.

"He's a big phony. All he had to do was go to therapy."

The Mays separated on Feb. 28, 2004, and on March 25 of that same year they went to a mediation session in an effort to reach an agreement regarding the custody of their three children.

May, who was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the mediation session, stormed out of mediator Dianne Thomas' office and returned to his car after he and Sulpizio May failed to reach a custody agreement.

"I didn't want mediation. I didn't want litigation. I didn't want a separation. I didn't want a divorce," May said. "I wanted to stay together forever and ever and ever."

May said he grabbed a pair of scissors from the glove box of his car, which he planned to use to hurt himself, not his estranged wife.

About 25 minutes later, May said he walked back to the office building in the hope of having one last chance to convince Sulpizio May not to go through with the separation.

May said all he remembers is lunging toward his wife with the scissors after the two got into an argument, and then the next thing he knew he was outside in the dark.

"I remember losing it and I remember jumping on her ... the woman I love," May said. "I just don't know why I don't remember" the attack.

Responding San Mateo police officers said when they arrived at the building they found May sitting on top of Sulpizio May choking her, with his arm around her neck.

May was arrested, and Sulpizio May was pronounced dead at the scene "of essentially massive blood loss," prosecutor Sean Gallagher said.

Sulpizio said her sister, who was a family and child therapist through the county's Samaritan House, would have done anything for her three children, ages 6, 10 and 13, and that's why she set up the child-custody mediation session.

"She was so sweet and so kind," Sulpizio said. "She loved to dance, she loved to swim, but most of all she loved her children."

Sulpizio said the children are dong well, but that the youngest still asks for "mommy to come back from heaven."

"They're doing really good in school but they miss their mom," Sulpizio said. "We love them and we cherish them."

May is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21 at 9 a.m. in Judge John Runde's courtroom, Department 15.

Copyright © 2006 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

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