Seven Minutes in Hell

"Love Triangle" or "Deadly Teacher-Student Murder Case"--the death of Sean Powell came to the attention of the nation in 2007 when the man who pulled the trigger of a 360 Marlin rifle killed the eighteen year old with one shot to his head. This case included adultery, sex between a teacher and student, drug and alcohol abuse, and an overly emotional man who was a ticking time bomb.

Woodward's research follows the characters in this story through over two years of events. Aftr the murder, a wild-haired man was taken into custody while his wife fled town with her children. The man accused of murder filed for divorce against his cheating spouse. Next, bizarre tales floated through the community as a young women moved from town to town on the lam with her young children. Eventually,the shooter faced charges for first degree murder as he squared off in court against a determined District Attorney. In a shocking ending the victim's families watched as the man who killed their child skated through the court system with the lightest of sentences.

Lastly, as a young family was torn apart forever, the victims and family members tried to put their lives back into some kind of order.

Did Eric McLean get away with premeditated murder? Some say he did. Others say it was the wife, Erin McLean, who should have faced jail time--as she was seen as the person who started it all. Clearly, three individuals were culpable in a murder that never should have happened.

Perhaps if any good came out of this tragic tale, we learned that adultery, drug use, alcohol misuse, and open marriage are the ingredients in a recipe for a disaster.