'Um, I Just Shot My Daughter': How a Disturbing 911 Call Revealed a Family Murder-Suicide Spanning 3 Generations

Mar. 15, 2025

Don Spirit.Photo:REUTERS/Florida Department of Corrections/Handout via Reuters

REUTERS/Florida Department of Corrections/Handout via Reuters

After being asked when the shooting happened, Spirit said, “I don’t want to hear it Ma’am. I’m done with every f—— thing. Just bring the motherf—– out here. That’s all. You got all the kids are dead in the house,” per the transcript.

The victims, all of whom sustained gunshot wounds, were identified as Spirit’s daughter, Sarah Spirit, 28, and her six children, Kaleb Kuhlmann, 11, Kylie Kuhlmann, 9, Johnathon Kuhlmann, 8, Destiny Stewart, 5, Brandon Stewart, 4, and Alanna Stewart, who was born in June of that year, per the sheriff’s office.

Mourners look at a display of photos during a memorial service for the victims at Bell High School on Sept. 21, 2014.AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun/Matt Stamey

AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun/Matt Stamey

“All of the children’s bodies were located in various locations inside the residence, while the bodies of the two adults were found outside the residence in separate locations on the property,” the sheriff’s office said.

At the time, investigators said they could not determine a motive in the murder-suicide, saying in the release that this “tragic and devastating event may never be fully explained.”

However, Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz noted at a press conference at the time that Spirit had a criminal history and that authorities had been called to the family home in the past,USATodayreported.

Don Spirit.Florida Department of Corrections/Reuters/Landov

As a convicted felon, Spirit wasprohibited from owning a firearmin Florida.

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Years prior to her killings, Sarah had called the police on her father, alleging he physically assaulted her, records show, per theTimes. “I am very scared of him. I know what he is capable of," she wrote in a domestic violence injunction court order in 2008. Spirit later spent about six months behind bars after being charged in a battery case.

As the years passed, Sarah also had brushes with law enforcement. She was arrested on charges of theft, battery and illegal drug use, and had a boyfriend who also spent time behind bars, theTimesreported, citing court records.

Sarah’s friend, James Bell, described her as “a beautiful, smart woman,” who “moved from Tampa to Bell to help her dad out,” perUSA Today.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com