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Don Spirit Kills Daughter, Six Grandchildren in Bell, Florida · Murder Files Unsealed

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  There was a moment when Sarah's Spirit loved her father almost as much as she
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  loved her children. In two thousand and eight, Spirit wrote to a Gilchrist
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  County judge that her father, Don C Spirit was battling his own demons and
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  she would rather stand in support than watch him go to jail for beating her
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  up. He will die if he goes to prison, and it will kill
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  me inside to know I put him there, Sarah Spirit wrote in a handwritten
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  letter made available to the Sun by the Gilchrist County Clerk of Court. The
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  family of Sarah's Spirit gathered at Wayfair Cemetery on Monday to bid farewell to the
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  twenty eight year old mother and her six children, who were tragically killed by
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  Sarah's father just a few days earlier. The funeral was a private affair in
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  Stark, contrast to the public memorial service held on Sunday. The solemn event
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  took place on a quiet country road with five hearses parked before a line of
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  graves covered by a large burial tent. Sarah Spirit's mother, Christine Jeffers,
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  mentioned that her daughter may have made poor choices in life, but she cherished
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  her children Jeffers stated, these kids were her world and they loved her just
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  as much. The murder suicide investigation in Gilchrist County has been handed over to
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  the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which has not yet disclosed many details.
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  In addition, the Florida Department of Children and Families provided The Sun with an
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  incident report on Monday, summarizing the interactions its investigators had with Sarah Spirit.
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  Most recently, DCF received a tip on Septi U one regarding concerns about substance
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  abuse, specifically the availability of a drug called spice and marijuana among adults living
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  at home with the children. Spirit informed a DCF investigator that she failed a
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  drug test administered by her probation officer and was subsequently taken to jail. After
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  her release, she and her six children were evicted from the Bell home where
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  they resided. Sarah Spirit's mother, Christine Jeffers, mentioned that her daughter may
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  have made poor choices in life, but she cherished her children. Jeffers stated,
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  these kids were her world and they loved her just as much. The
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  murder suicide investigation in Gilchrist County has been handed over to the Florida Department of
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  law enforcement, which has not yet disclosed many details. In addition, the
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  Florida Department of Children and Families provided The Sun with an incident report on Monday
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  summarizing the interactions its investigators had with Sarah Spirit. Most recently, DCF received
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  a tip on scepter I regarding concerns about substance abuse, specifically the availability of
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  a drug called spice and marijuana among adults living at home with the children.
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  Sarah Spirit informed a DCF investigator that she failed a drug test administered by her
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  probation officer and was subsequently taken to jail. After her release, she and
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  her six children were evicted from the Bell Home where they resided in the Three
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  Lakes Wildlife Management Area in Osceola County. Dons Spirit accidentally shot and killed his
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  nine year old son, Kyle a year before that incident. This led to
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  a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon Due to previous drug related
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  cases in Hillsborough County and repeated cases of driving without a license. In two
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  thousand three, Jeffers wrote to a judge asking for leniency for her h husband,
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  stating he was not mentally strong enough to serve the mandatory three year sentence.
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  He was ultimately sentenced to three years in prison. Court documents from two
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  thousand and five show that Jeffers filed for divorce, citing multiple assaults by Spirit
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  since their marriage in December nineteen eighty nine. Another court document revealed a two
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  thousand and six battery charge where Don's Spirit reportedly punched his son, Josh Spirit,
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  now twenty four, over a jacket. The DCF summary did not mention
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  this incident. In August two thousand and eight, an incident occurred where Don's
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  Spirit pushed a pregnant Sarah Spirit against a refrigerator and hit her during an argument
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  about property taxes. According to court documents, Reports indicate that Sarah fled her
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  home to a street corner during the incident despite threats from her father, and
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  called nine one one. Deputies armed with a warrant arrived at the Spirit home,
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  where Dons Spirit stated that he intended to harm himself due to Spirit's threat
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  of suicide. Gilchrist deputies don tactical gear and armed themselves with rifles. Spirit
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  eventually left the trailer without a weapon and was taken into custody at the County
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  jail. Following the incident, Sarah Spirit sought a domestic order of protection against
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  her father. In a handwritten statement, she expressed awareness of her father's temper
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  and past behavior towards her mother. Despite initial concerns, Sarah Spirit's sentiments changed
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  in the following weeks. She expressed fear that her father would not survive prison
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  time, echoing sentiments her mother had expressed in two thousand three. Sarah emphasized
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  her love for her father and his importance in her and her children's lives,
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  pleading for leniency from the judge. Don's Spirit nine one one call released by officials