Prosecutors: Religious belief may have sparked brutal murder

[icymist]

EVERETT, Wash. - Prosecutors say a man, accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death and dismembering her body, may have done it partly due to his belief in the Wiccan religion.

Prosecutors say Eric Christensen killed Sherry Harlan in her apartment then scattered her remains in the woods. Christensen was initially charged with second-degree murder, but prosecutors upped that to first-degree murder Monday, saying the crime was premeditated.

Jeri Schiable, a Wiccan, says both Harlan and Christensen had been exploring the religion. Wiccan services are held at a church tucked in the quiet hills of rural Snohomish County.

The message there was one of love and harmony.

"The number one rule is, 'and it harm none -- do what you will,'" said Schiable.

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