Disturbed "Pagan" Woman Sentenced to Five Years of Prison

About a year ago Terisa “Red Phoenix” Davidson was found guilty of conspiracy in  the attempted murder of a local man (and fellow Pagan) whom she claimed raped her and her teenage daughter (no evidence has emerged to give any indication that these accusations were true). While not involved in the actual brutal attack (which included being hit by a car, being beaten, stabbed, set on fire, and injected with silver thermal compound via a marinade needle) prosecutors successfully argued that she provided the motivation, weapons, and plan of attack. Having finally exhausted her appeals to the conviction, yesterday a judge sentenced her to nearly five years in prison.

Terisa Davidson was ordered to serve four years and 11 months of a 15 year prison sentence by substitute Circuit Court Judge Jay T. Swett. Davidson will also be on supervised probation for five years after her release and will have to pay $10,600 in restitution to a victim’s fund … While Davidson — who went by the name “Red Phoenix” — was not present during the attack, York-Poquoson Commonwealth’s Attorney Eileen Addison painted her as a ring leader who supplied the needle and silver compound as well as the plan to harm Barron. “She is the force that put it all in play,” Addison said, in closing arguments Tuesday.

During the sentencing Davidson was quoted as saying that  she was “sorry that this thing ever happened,” and that she “couldn’t imagine going through what he’s been through.” Davidson, the four attackers (three of whom are now in jail), and the victim (Jonathan “Lord Othis” Barron) all met at a local metaphysical shop in Norfolk, Virginia where they attended a Pagan drum-circle. Almost no investigation was done by journalists into the actual beliefs of Davidson, Barron, or his attackers other than the fact that Barron considered himself a vampire and one of his attackers thought he was a werewolf. Were they Pagans? New Age dabblers? Otherkin? Curious seekers? The “Red Phoenix” and “Lord Othis” sobriquets suggest they had some sort of magical/metaphysical identity beyond mere dabbling, and the four attackers considered Davidson a “powerful mother figure” suggesting some sort of coven arrangement, but nothing was ever confirmed.

That lack of confirmation is a shame, because with only these salacious tidbits, with dropped buzz-words like “Pagan” and “vampire” we fuel the kind of speculation that leads to mistrust and hostility towards modern Pagans. We should know what “Red Phoenix” taught, and what the religious identities of this group were. That way we can contrast what she was doing with healthy and productive Pagan groups. As it stands Davidson will simply become grist for the “another crazy Pagan” mill, and we are all poorer for it.