Pedophile politician's $150,000 bribery scheme
Wednesday, Dec. 3 2008 @ 9:27AM
From ye olde inbox, an e-mail from true crime scribe M. William Phelps:I have been researching the Erin & Eric McLean case (teacher-student sex scandal turned deadly in Tenn.) for some time now and I'm interested in speaking with anyone connected to this case. I should be beginning a book project about this case after the first of the year.
I am also interested in touching base with anyone with information and/or a connection to any of the other high profile "teacher-student" sex scandals--Debbie Lafave, Pamela Rogers, Shannon Kay Hrozek, Pamela Diehl-Moore, et al--played out in the media over the past several years. My book will include a narrative analysis of many of these cases, too.
In a separate e-mail, Phelps wrote that "The McLean case exemplifies an important social problem taking place in this country today: female teachers crossing the line with their male students [...] It's an epidemic!"
This is, in essence a blog about news, and preferably stuff that's going on right now. But here we've got a reputable and prolific author whom I know for a fact doesn't just go for the clip job -- Matt Phelps digs in, does his own interviews, buries himself in the story, and he delivers the goods. Writers like him will keep true crime books on the shelves as a well-defined genre for years to come.
Phelps is only beginning work on this story, and if there was ever a recent true crime story ripe for a good book-length treatment, it is the sad, strange tale of Erin and Eric McLean. It was a "high-profile" crime when it happened, but if you haven't heard the story, read the brief synopsis after the jump...
Erin McLean was a 30-year-old teacher living in Knoxville, TN with her husband Eric when she had an affair with student Sean Powell. It would have been another all too common story about teachers being inappropriate with students were it not for a confrontation at the McLean home in March, 2007 that ended in Powell's death.
The case was launched into the public eye in a big way then, since Eric McLean fired the bullet that killed Sean Powell.
According to M. William Phelps, "[The] things that have been said about the victim in the McLean case, Sean Powell, are horrifying." Phelps continued: "I would encourage anyone with information relating to any one of the more high profile teacher-student sex cases to come forward, either on the record or anonymously."
Phelps may have a point about the way Sean Powell has been portrayed -- after all, in the end, Eric McLean was only convicted of reckless homicide and he received just 47 days in jail and more than a decade of probation. The portrait McLean's defenders painted of the dead teen must have factored somehow into the jury's decision.
If you have a close connection to this case or any of the others named by Matt Phelps in his e-mail to me, get in touch with the author at mwilliamphelps[at]comcast.net.
Eric McLean's light sentence had more to do with the behavior & character description of his ex-wife, Erin, who has since the crime proven herself to be a serial female sexual predator. It was clear from testimony from various witnesses that she more-or-less orchestrated the events that occurred that night--but had originally planned for her husband to be the one getting shot, not the other way around. The last I heard she had disappeared from the state, taking the kids with her, along with her new underage boyfriend.
Posted 12/03/2008 at 04:55:07 PMMatt's a great writer. Should be a thorough book.
Posted 12/03/2008 at 06:25:10 PMI've always been curious to know the other side of this story - that is, the side of Erin McLean. Up to this point, the ex-husband, Eric McLean, was the only one who did any major TV interviews. I watched those, and knew his side of the story, but I was always curious what Erin would say. Until today, spurred by this article, I haven't done a search to see what is new with this case. Last I heard Erin had run away with the boys and there were more accusations of underage relationships.
Well, I just found all the updates I needed including what I've always wanted to know - Erin's side of the story. I'm kind of speechless -- I don't think this interview helped at all change the vibe that I've had about this woman from the time this story first hit the news. I hope Phelps finds some people to talk to that can either confirm or deny what Erin McLean claims in this interview - some wild revelations.
Erin's interview from October 2008:
Posted 12/05/2008 at 03:39:12 PMhttp://tinyurl.com/6ath5k
Monika: I read the intreview at the link. It was clear from how the reporter distanced herself from Erin that she has grave doubts as to the truth behind anything she says (including whether or not they ever met before). It certainly reads like the spew of a malignant narcisist, that's for sure.
Posted 12/05/2008 at 05:54:45 PMTry reading "Murder By Family," by Kent Whitaker. This is the tragic story of Kent Whitaker's heart-wrenching journey toward forgiveness and faith after the brutal murder of his wife and one of his sons. I was in awe the whole time I read it. Simply an amazing story.
Posted 03/12/2009 at 11:25:10 AMfor god's sakes a TEENAGER was MURDERED. a teen ager--by a GROWN MAN who HAD NO REMORSE!! i don't give a darn about erin maclean's consensual sex with younger lovers or whether or not she was a great mom--SHE NEVER WALKED UP TO A CAR AND SHOT SOMEBODY!!!! please don't vilify the woman just b/c she wasn't an ideal mom--her husband "st eric" CHEATED ON HER TOO and would disappear himself to drink and party with his bandmates. erin might have been a little unhinged-but i think eric is an outright sociopath. it is CRIMINAL that he will serve virtually no time for SNUFFING OUT A LIFE. THAT is the real travesty!
Posted 12/06/2009 at 11:04:21 PM