Knoxville, TN (TLS). Eric McLean, who is in jail on the charge of murdering his wife's lover, states that he learned of the affair between Erin McLean and Sean Powell through his 11-year-old son.
Eric McLean granted an interview with NBC Today's Matt Lauer Friday morning.
McLean expressed deep remorse for the killing of Sean Powell, which he says was an accident. The killing took place on the night of March 10, 2007 after Eric had initially dialed 911 to report an intruder in the McLean home. Eric's wife Erin later called 911 to report that her husband had shot Sean Powell outside their home.
In the aftermath of these tragic events Erin McLean moved to Nashville, where she is staying with relatives along with her two children. She made a suicide attempt just five days later on March 15. Police records indicate that Erin was transported to a local medical center after taking an overdose of pills, and that she was discharged from the facility a few days later.
Eric McLean, on the other hand, is in jail after being charged with the murder of Sean Powell. His interview with Matt Lauer on Friday provides more insight into the scenario that led to the tragic events of March 10.
McLean states that he was in denial about his wife's involvement with one of her students. He had confronted her in December about the affair--an accusation that Erin McLean fiercely denied. Eric also confronted Sean Powell at the time, to which Powell also denied any involvement with Erin McLean.
However, the McLeans' 11-year-old son reported to his Dad that his Mother had been seen walking hand-in-hand with Sean Powell in a park. When confronted by the information provided by their son, Erin once again denied any involvement and, according to Eric, severely punished her son later for 'squealing on her to his Dad.'
At that point, according to Eric, he became fearful for the safety of his children.
A local newspaper in the area, the Knoxville News Sentinel, has the complete story on Eric McLean's interview with Matt Lauer. Read all about it here:
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5434233,00.html
Saturday, March 24, 2007
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5 comments:
Parents need to teach their sons to better protect themselves against older, unstable women. Girls get plenty of talks (at least more than the boys do), but boys are left to fend for themselves. This is a mistake and parents of young boys need to be prepare their sons like they would prepare their daughters.
Even the harshest child molestation laws would have done no good in this case. Sean Powell was an 18 year old adult in the eyes of the law. The most that could have happened to Erin McLean was for her to be fired, and perhaps for her to lose her license to teach. It is not a crime, nor should it be, for a 30 year old adult woman to have sex with an 18 year old adult man.
However, it is also obvious that although an 18 year old is legally an adult, and 18 year old is not ready to have a relationship with an adult woman, especially one who is already married.
And this is what I believe is so harmful about these women. I don't believe that it is as much the physical sex acts that are damaging to these boys as it is the dysfunctional relationships that usually accompany them.
It is much more than simply that. It is the power differential and the accepted societal wall of professionalism that separates students from teachers, counselees from counselors, employees from supervisors.
This power differential is the very source of what we refer to today as 'sexual harrassment.'
It is not that it was legally wrong for a 30 year old teacher to have sex with an 18 year old. But it was entirely inappropriate because of the power differential. Sean Powell, in short, was a victim of sexual harrassment because his teacher (the one with the power), who could influence his grade, made sexual advances.
Even if it could be proved that Sean Powell initiated the encounters, the wall of professionalism still applies, because one assumes that adults in positions of responsibility, such as teachers, counselors, and the like, know that it is imperative to refrain from responding to such advances on the part of students, clients, counselees, etc.
The various and sundry Codes of Ethics forbid such behavior on the part of professionals, and it is a serious offense.
Martyn
Agreed. However, sexual harassment is a civil matter not a criminal one.
My point is that while she should have been fired and lost her license to teach, or even have been sued, she could not have been charged with crime in the case.
True. We are on the same page.
Erin very likey saw a very dangerous situation was developing and had plenty of opportunity to defuse the whole situation ; she could stopped the process from esculating ; she did not; that was her biggest failing ;
still whether the kid 18 or 17 circumstances of her being teacher in school and his being a student makes no difference, Erin in this case is the real culprit; she should be jail
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