Teenager Killed After an Affair with a Teacher - is the Wrong McLean in Jail?
Is a Husband Paying the Price for His Wife's Predatory Behavior?
The Teenager
Sean Powell, the teenager who paid the highest price for this love triangle, had lived a complicated life even before the affair began. Placed for adoption by his birth mother, Debra Flynn, some ten years ago, Sean was taken in by Scarlett and Jack Powell, who later adopted him. Those who knew the teen say that he was polite and clean cut, but West High School reported that Sean had left the school in November for reasons they could not disclose. Debra Flynn indicated that her son had entered rehab for less than a month. She remarked that he was a typical teenager, who suffered from some low points in his life and had experimented with marijuana and alcohol. Flynn also indicated that Sean had been living with her part time since the Powells had kicked him out, and that she was aware of the affair with Erin McLean.
"He wouldn't let me answer my cell phone," Flynn stated. "I said, 'Why?' He said, 'Well, Mom, I'm going out with this girl.' I said, 'So what?' He said, 'She is a counselor at school.' I said, 'Oh, my God, Sean."'
She also reported that she had found text messages on her cell phone later that said "Come home. Baby, I love you." and "You are beautiful." Flynn said that her son had left her home in Nashville to go back to West Knoxville to "be close to [Erin McLean]."
Flynn has been in contact with Erin McLean since the student teacher informed her of Sean's death. Flynn said she believes Erin was 'preying' on her son, and that she had told the woman as much - to which the woman apparently responded "Oh, no, I loved Sean." and that she "would have married him."
The Husband
Jason Eric McLean, the man who admitted to shooting Sean, had, according to his family, been under a great deal of pressure in the months leading up to the shooting. Some of this pressure, says his father, came from suspicions about the affair Erin was having with Sean, but his burdens predate this tragic sequence of events by several years. McLean (who goes by his middle name, Eric) had put his own aspirations on hold to support his wife and their two children while she pursued a Graduate Degree in Education. His wife was working as an intern at West High School, but Eric's income was still the only money coming into the household. In addition, he was also taking classes to further his own education.
To make matters even more tragic, Eric's parents report that he had been trying to help Sean Powell find a place to live after his adoptive parents kicked him out of their West Knoxville home. Eric had, in fact, even asked his own parents to take Sean in. Supposedly this was before he realized his wife was romantically involved with the young man.
Even once Eric became suspicious of his wife, he twice believed Erin's claims that nothing was going on. In fact, it wasn't until his 11 year old son approached him and told him he had seen Erin and Sean walking hand-in-hand that he finally accepted that he wasn't imagining things.
When things finally came to a head, on March 10, Eric tried to convince Sean to leave his home. Apparently the teen refused, staying seated in the car he drove to the McLean residence, which he driven right up into the driveway. The distraught and embarrassed husband even called 9-1-1 to try and have police remove Sean from his home. The recording of the 9-1-1 call seem to indicated that McLean could not bring himself to tell the operator that this young man was having an affair with his wife, especially when asked by the operator why he was "having a conversation" with the intruder.
Eric eventually turned himself in to the local police when he encountered a unit near the railroad tracks he had been walking along. The shotgun was found nearby, and Eric indicated to the officer that it was the weapon used in the shooting.
The Predatory Teacher
Erin McLean, the instigator and cause of this entire tragedy, is another story all together in this tale. It is beginning to look like Erin became increasingly involved with Sean when her husband was trying to help the teen find a place to live after his adoptive parents ousted him from their home in the Fall, though Erin had apparently been a Student Teacher for Sean at West High School before the teen left the high school in November. It is unclear at this point whether Erin had any inappropriate contact with Sean before he turned 18 in October, though the school has launched its own investigation and put McLean on leave until the situation is resolved.
By the time her husband finally began to suspect Erin of having an affair, in December, things had allegedly been going on for some time. Apparently her means of dealing with her husband's accusations of the affair had been to fervently deny them and then make him feel guilty for accusing her of any wrongdoing. When her 11 year old son finally informed her husband that he had seen Erin and Sean walking hand-in-hand in a local park, she allegedly bruised and scratched the young boy for having "squealed on her to his dad." Apparently the only reason that Eric did not file a Protection Order for his family against his wife is that Erin managed to convince him to drop it.
Since the shooting, Erin has reportedly maintained contact with Sean's birth mother, Debra Flynn. She has indicated to Flynn that Sean has asked her to marry him, and that she would have obliged had things not turned out the way they did. Erin has moved with the two McLean sons, ages 7 and 11, to live with family in Nashville. Nashville authorities report that the woman attempted suicide by drug overdose 5 days after Sean was shot.
More than One Victim
As more details surface, it will be come clear exactly when Erin and Sean became involved, as well as whether the allegations of abuse against her 11 year old son are true. However, Eric McLean's attorneys have stated they will be moving to transfer custody of the children to his parents while the case is investigated - a motion they expect to be granted given the attempted suicide in Nashville.
What is clear is that while Sean Powell's death is a truly tragic outcome, h is not the only victim in this twisted tale of a female teacher taking advantage of a male student. Not only will Sean's adoptive family and birth mother have to live the rest of their lives without Sean, the McLean children will now have to grow up in, at best, a broken home - either without one of their parents or, possibly, without either of their parents to count on.
Should Eric McLean be convicted of the First Degree Murder he has been charged with, he could be sentenced to death. Even if things work out for the better, it is unlikely that McLean will be able to avoid jail time. Given the apparent instability of Erin McLean, it is entirely possible that the children will be removed from her care, further upsetting their young lives - and given the tale of the 11 year old informing his father about the affair in question, and the following alleged abuse by the mother, it seems likely that the parental relations there have been damaged beyond hope of repair in the foreseeable future. Add the children to the list of victims.
Finally, add to this list the name of Eric McLean, the accused. Certainly he would not have been in a position to shoot Sean Powell had not his wife gotten sexually and romantically involved with a teenager - not to mention having brought this affair into the lives of the children. One can only imagine what was going on in Eric's mind when his 11 year old son approached him to tell him that mommy was holding hands with Sean in the park - much less how it felt to have this brazen teenager refusing to leave his driveway while he was on the phone with 9-1-1 trying to find the strength to tell a complete stranger that this 'intruder' was the young man his wife was having sex with. Obviously Eric McLean is not without blame, as he is the one that retrieved the shotgun from his truck and pointed at Sean, but the evidence that is surfacing in this case surely indicates that Erin McLean carries considerable blame for having made the poor decisions that created this situation in the first place, destroying the lives of the Powells, Debra Flynn, her husband and his parents, and her own children. Her suicide attempt would seem to indicate that even she can see her husband is not the only one at fault in this tragic shooting.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/16/teacher.slaying.ap.ap/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-16-affair-slaying_N.htm
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Mar27/0,4670,TeacherSexSlaying,00.html
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5434233,00.html
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5413785,00.html
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5416031,00.html
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5434292,00.html
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5416031,00.html
http://thelibertysphere.blogspot.com/2007/03/son-informed-dad-of-erin-mcleans-affair.html
Published by Mister Patriot
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38 Comments
Post a CommentI totally agree with wayne99. That is just incredible, a kid would have sex with a man's wife in his bedroom, come to his house and tell him that they'd be calling him daddy. Accident or not, that kid deserved every mm of that bullet. Even if Eric had been abusive or had affairs of his own. 1, He was her student, 2, he pushed his way into someone else's business flauntingly, 3, he was a homewrecker. What a pos. Sorry for the dead? Yeah, right. Would have been nice to stop it, but what a dumb bastard punk kid. Justice was served just fine, imo.
I would like to know what makes Linda so credible. For all you know I could be a close friend of Eric's and he never had any affairs or was abusive to his wife. Don't believe every tom, dick and linda you read on the internet unless you enjoy being that gullible.
i don't think eric should be punished. erin should. she's the predator in all this!! ppl want to say that eric "planned" to kill sean by buying the gun. but in fact, the gun was bought 2 weeks before the killing, thus arguing that it was not meant for slaying sean powell, or he would've been dead 2 wks before. ANYHOW, i feel bad for eric. his wife is the predator, he was just cornered and ran out of answers. RIP Sean! I pray for Sean & Eric!
Eric Mclean is only using the media, first , to get pity. Why dont the papers go to the grave site of Sean Powell. Now, that would be fit. But, Sean is no longer with us. These papers like to make money off of loss. Doesnt it seem funny that Mclean was driving his daddys car that nite, and parked it at the school. And his kids were not home,maybe he planned for the kids to be gone, thats so they could not say anything. I saw a site in which he was cheating on her, its too bad she picked on a teen , now hes dead. And its a shame that a 30 yr. old man, shoots an unarmed teen, that is trapped in his car, with no way out. Looks like intent. For his parents, their no better, WHY didnt they protect their grandkids?? Its only after, that their son, blows off a teens face. I dont buy their story. BAD PARENT SKILLS. This is nothing but an Attorneys attempt at using the media and alot of coaching.
Eric Mclean is only using the media, first , to get pity. Why dont the papers go to the grave site of Sean Powell. Now, that would be fit. But, Sean is no longer with us. These papers like to make money off of loss. Doesnt it seem funny that Mclean was driving his daddys car that nite, and parked it at the school. And his kids were not home,maybe he planned for the kids to be gone, thats so they could not say anything. I saw a site in which he was cheating on her, its too bad she picked on a teen , now hes dead. And its a shame that a 30 yr. old man, shoots an unarmed teen, that is trapped in his car, with no way out. Looks like intent. For his parents, their no better, WHY didnt they protect their grandkids?? Its only after, that their son, blows off a teens face. I dont buy their story. BAD PARENT SKILLS. This is nothing but an Attorneys attempt at using the media and alot of coaching.
Have been reading the comments. I wish that this Linda, would of come forward with the information, sooner.Maybe some people dont want to get in the middle of this, but,its time that we are allowed to hear from all sides, just not Mcleans side!!! I think he was a real creep, it appears that this may have been planned to kill that young man. If he did abuse his wife, then shame on him, if he cheated on her, double the shame on him. Its sad to think that a young man was killed . What did Mclean expect to gain from killing this boy. Maybe a movie of the week, and some cash!!! 15 minutes of fame!! ,, I dont feel sorry for mclean, I feel sorry for the teen, after all, hes not here to tell us anything, and were suppose to take Mcleans word as the truth! He cant keep his story right. Thanks ,Linda, for giving us the information . Thank You.
If you believe the comments of some of these idiots, then there should be Capitol Punishment for adultery in divorce court.
Wow, So now we hear of Mclean having some affairs of his own!!!!!!! Nice guy. Im not saying that Erin was right in what she did, by any means. Wish this information was put out a little sooner. He sounds like a really self-absorbed , selfish jerk!!!! Eric has a pattern of abuse, first his wife, then another kind of abuse,,,,,,,,,,,,MURDER.
I know this couple. I know that a lot of people are quick to see Eric as a man who loved his wife and children so much that this affair drove him to a heinous act. I happen to know that Erin was left alone for many years while Eric had numorous affairs. I would not say this if I had not heard him say it with my own ears. This was Erin's first affair. I do not want to sound like I am defending her actions. I encouraged them to divorce or separate long before this. I do not condone cheating on a spouse or choosing a mate who is not matured in years. Eric was an abusive husband and obviously a cruel man.
Sean , I believe, had said, that he was going out to his car. He is no longer here to defend himself. Hes not here to tell his side. And we should believe everything that Mclean says.I dont buy it!!!! He wants the tax payers to foot the legal bill. Why should they.! He pulled the trigger. He pulled a fast one to bail out of jail. , as far as the value of his home. Mclean (now) says that child abuse was present. His parents say it was going on, WELL, you mean that they sat back and did nothing.Great parenting skills, Just great.!!!!! I certainly think the boys are being played in a Blame Game. Or is this damage control ? Murder is Murder. He trapped Powell in his car. If he was so concerned about the boys welfare, why didnt he take the boys?/ You mean that he was so worried that he left them with her!!!! So, he says he had proof, but left the kids with her. He had grounds for custody and divorce. But did nothing. He sounds as bad as her.