Lesbian Gets 25 Years for Slaying Woman

A lesbian sailor who was convicted of murdering another woman in a love triangle was sentenced Monday to 25 years to life in state prison.

Sherral Lyn Clayton, 25, of Lemon Grove was given the term for the Oct. 7 slaying of Shelly Dupee, 21, who was found stabbed 54 times, with her throat slashed, in her Spring Valley apartment.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lisa Chappell said in court last month that Clayton “killed the competition” because both women had been dating a third woman.

A Superior Court jury convicted Clayton of first-degree murder Feb. 2 after deliberating 2 1/2 hours.

Clayton testified that she killed Dupee in self-defense after Dupee attacked her, saying: “You’re not going to take Debbie away from me.” Clayton was arrested at a hospital, where she received six stitches for cuts to her fingers.

Clayton had worked as a jet mechanic and had been in the Navy for eight years, according to the probation report.

The “other woman” listed in the report said her relationship with Clayton ended a month and a half before the slaying because of her interest in Dupee.