‘Vampire’ Guilty of Molestation
by SUKHJIT PUREWA - Monterey Herald Staff Writer
Posted on Saturday, March 05, 2005
www.montereyherald.com
An 18-year-old Salinas woman who claimed to be a vampire was convicted
Friday of molesting a younger girl by threatening to cast a spell over her.
A Monterey County Superior Court jury in Salinas convicted Erin Shatraw of
one misdemeanor count of child molestation but acquitted her on a felony
sexual assault charge.
Prosecutor Gary Thelander said Shatraw convinced a 14-year-old family
acquaintance that she was a vampire and would cast a harmful spell on her
and her family unless she agreed to engage in sexual activity last July.
Shatraw was a friend of the girl's mother and had known the younger girl for
a decade.
During the course of several months, the girl watched Shatraw's demeanor
change and saw her dressing more and more in black, adding credence to
Shatraw's claims that she was a vampire, Thelander said.
Shatraw testified that she had been researching different religions,
including Wicca, a belief associated with witchcraft, but denied molesting
the girl. The defense argued that the sex was consensual. Defense attorney
Erin Wennerholm could not be reached for comment late Friday.
Thelander said the 14-year-old began acting out and set a small fire in her
room. When police went to her home to question her about it, she told them
about the molestation, the prosecutor said.
The 14-year-old and her family have since moved out of the area. Shatraw
could face up to a year in jail when she is sentenced April 20 by Judge
Terrance Duncan.
Sukhjit Purewal can be reached at
spurewal@monteryherald.com.
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