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Families of homicide victims warn self-published book contains inaccuracies; commissioners say city lacks power to remove it
Summary
Multiple families told the Springfield City Commission a self-published book called Bloodlines and Bullets contains factual errors and causes harm to victims' relatives; commissioners said they sympathize but that First Amendment limits the city's ability to order removal, and advised legal remedies and other resources instead.
Relatives of people killed in Springfield shootings spoke at length during public comment to say the self-published book Bloodlines and Bullets by Beth Donahue includes inaccurate and, in some cases, false claims about victims that families say are damaging to survivors and could affect pending criminal cases.
"Not one family was contacted for information, and every family with loved ones featured has expressed serious concern over the plethora of inaccuracies, some of which are outright falsehoods," Melissa Timberman said while speaking on behalf of Heather William Sharp, the mother of victim Spencer Sharp. Timberman said the book “includes fabricated details” and criticized a chapter that, she said,…
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