South Lake Tahoe man gets 25 years to life in prison for murder of his roommate

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A local man has been sentenced to prison for 25 years to life for the murder of his roommate.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to a home on Carson Street at 2:33 p.m. on Sunday, January 13, 2019 after receiving calls of an assault. Upon arrival they found Valorie Turley, 65, unresponsive in the driveway. She was assisted by rescue personnel and transported to Barton Hospital before being airlifted via CalStar to Renown Hospital in Reno where she was later pronounced deceased.

James Byron Cleveland, who was 71-years-old at the time, was arrested initially for beating Turley with a fireplace log, causing severe head injuries. After Turley died those charges were changed to murder.

Cleveland went to trial earlier this year. During that court trial, multiple witnesses testified that they heard Ms. Turley screaming for help. When those witnesses responded to help her, they saw Cleveland brutally, and repeatedly, beating Ms. Turley over the head with a fireplace log. Cleveland testified at the trial and admitted that Ms. Turley had said something to upset him and that he “snapped” and “lost control.”

On January 26, 2021, Cleveland was convicted of his crimes and later sentenced on March 19, 2021. Cleveland will serve 25 years to life for First Degree Murder of Valorie Turley, and an additional one year for a weapons enhancement charge.

The case was investigated by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Casey Mandrell, and presided over by the Honorable Suzanne N. Kingsbury.