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'Vampire slayers' may face charges

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MAROTINU DE SUS, Romania, March 25 (UPI) -- Romanian police were investigating Thursday a case of disturbing the peace of the dead -- better known to residents of Marotinu de Sus as "vampire slaying."

Toma Petre's corpse had been removed from his grave, his heart had been cut out and it was presumed to have been consumed by his relatives, Police Chief Constantin Ghindeano said.

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"The investigation is ongoing, and we expect to file charges later," he said, referring to possible charges of disturbing the peace of the dead, which could carry a three-year jail term, Knight Ridder reported Thursday.

"We are determining whether this was an isolated case or whether there is a pattern in the village."

Many villagers don't understand why there's an investigation, as vampire slaying is an accepted, though hidden, bit of national heritage.

"What did we do?" pleaded Flora Marinescu, Petre's sister and the wife of the man accused of re-killing him. "If they're right, he was already dead. If we're right, we killed a vampire and saved three lives. ... Is that so wrong?"

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