KINGMAN – Multiple family members spoke on his behalf as a convicted sex offender was sentenced to 21 years in prison in Kingman on Sept. 5. His mother, grandfather, aunt and others expressed bewilderment that the man they said was such a good father had been accused, let alone convicted, of sex crimes involving his adopted daughter.
“It’s just unbelievable,” his grandfather said of Shawn Cameron. “He’s been the best grandson that I think anyone can have.”
Other family members said the victim, now 20, fabricated the allegations when she had a troubled period as a teenager.
Prosecutor Amanda Claerhout rebutted that assessment, saying sex crime victims frequently act out due to trauma associated with their abuse. She also said manipulation by Cameron, 43, might explain why she waited more than a decade before telling anyone the sex activity began when she was just five years old.
Claerhout handled the sentencing hearing while Deputy Mohave County Attorney Greg McPhillips took the case to trial in July. McPhillips said years of abuse by Cameron ended in Golden Valley in 2017 when the investigation began after she told friends and a school resource officer.
McPhillips said the victim didn’t realize the activity was wrong for years, but learned otherwise as she matured. Both McPhillips and the victim told the jury that Cameron repeatedly committed sex offenses during regularly scheduled “affection time” on Wednesdays and Sundays.
“It made me feel dirty,” the victim testified. “It made me hate him.”
The jury deliberated for almost three hours before convicting Cameron of luring a minor for sexual exploitation, sexual conduct with a minor and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
