Defendant In Fatal Walnut Creek Stabbing Sentenced To 4 Years
WALNUT CREEK (CBS SF) -- A 25-year-old Oakland resident was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for fatally stabbing her boyfriend during a domestic dispute at his Walnut Creek home last November in what appeared to be self-defense.
Akira Jackson, a transgender youth advocate, had been in a physical fight with the victim, 56-year-old Walnut Creek resident Alan Gray, at his home on Santa Rita Drive on Nov. 4, 2010.
Jackson's attorney Evan Hoppin said Gray had been armed with a baseball bat during the fight and had hit Jackson with it.
The first 911 call came from Gray, but the second came from Jackson after the stabbing.
"It was clear from the 911 calls that there was a ferocious struggle," Hoppin said.
When police arrived, Jackson was waiting for them on the porch and surrendered without incident. During a lengthy interview at the police station Jackson told investigators what had happened, Hoppin said.
"It was a tragic and unfortunate situation, but self-defense is the law in California," Hoppin said.
In exchange for her reduced sentence, Jackson pleaded no contest two weeks ago to voluntary manslaughter and admitted to an enhancement for using a knife.
Prosecutor Dominique Yancey said the decision to offer the plea deal to Jackson came after a preliminary hearing was held in the case.
She said issues raised in the hearing led prosecutors to believe that four years in prison was an appropriate sentence.
During the investigation police also found evidence that Gray had been cultivating and selling large amounts of marijuana, Hoppin said.
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