Melanie Eam and James Barry: 5 quick facts about the murder fuelled by a breakup

The upcoming episode of Lifetime's truecrime docuseries Sleeping with a Killer is set to detail the murder of 21-year-old James Barry.

In the wee hours of November 17, 2016, James Barry was stabbed to death by his ex-girlfriend, Melanie Eam, at his Loxahatchee home. The incident took place after a heated conversation between the two on a gaming chat app, which led to their breakup.

Allegedly, Eam so upset with the breakup that she drove to his place to confront him. However, things turned sour and she ended up stabbing him seven times, which led to his death.

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Five things to know about James Barry's murder

1) A bloody sleepover

James Barry's friend Jeff Jarzabkowski was at the former's residence on the night of the murder. Jeff recalled falling asleep at around 9:30 pm even as James continued playing his video game.

In an interview, Jeff said that James woke him up in the middle of the night to say that his relationship with Eam was not working.

Jeff quoted his friend saying:

"Jeff, just so you know, I think it’s over."

However, Jeff fell asleep again and a while later, he was woken up with a loud bang and Barry's screams. He woke up to see a bloody James stumbling into the room, pleading for him. James collapsed soon after as he was stabbed several times in the chest and neck area.

James' mother, Nicola Barry, called 911 while her live-in boyfriend, Guy Hand, and Jeff attempted CPR.

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Eam confessed to killing her boyfriend

James Barry's ex-girlfriend Melanie Eam was found guilty of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 50 years imprisonment. Her release is scheduled for 2066.

After stabbing her boyfriend, Eam fled to her relative's place but was eventually tracked down. According to reports, the then 20-year-old was tracked down in Silver Springs, Maryland. Local police went to speak to her, pretending that they were there for a wellness check.

Later, as she spoke to detectives who were investigating the case, Eam confessed to having killed James.

She told the detectives:

“He said for months that he didn’t actually love me.”

Though the couple were in an on-again, off-again relationship, James broke up with Eam just a few hours before his murder, on a gaming app. Police said that following this, Eam drove to James' house where they were involved in a heated argument. During the argument, Eam caught hold of a butcher knife and stabbed James to death.

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Guy Hand was falsely accused

Eam's attorney Bruce Lehr initially tried to prove that it wasn't Eam but someone else who killed James. The attorney alleged that Nicola's boyfriend Guy Hand had been the one to kill James.

According to Lehr, it was Hand who stabbed James seven times after James tried to stop an argument between Hand and Nicola.

However, during closing arguments, Assistant State Attorney Reid Scott said Eam never tried to prove that anyone else was the killer other than herself. He added that the evidence clearly pointed to the fact that it was Eam who had killed James as she was heart-broken.

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The family rejoiced outside the courtroom

James' family had gathered outside the courtroom and rejoiced over their victory.

James' father, who is also named James said:

"We've spent the last 26, almost 27, months in terms of waiting for this day and we got what we were looking for."

Meanwhile, Nicola said that she was very happy that justice was finally served for her son, James Barry. She added that they were all very happy that the "nightmare" was over.

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James Barry was a big time gamer

Alexandra Barry, James' elder sister, said that he was committed to school-work and to gaming as a kid and added that gaming meant everything to him. She also stated that James Barry liked to stay out of trouble.

Alexandra spoke about James' ex-girlfriend and noted that the couple began dating when they were in high school. Eam, according to her, was a shy and soft-spoken girl who also became a part of James' home life.