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New Book by W&L Alum Explores Impact of Whitey Bulger on One Family

Bob Halloran’s latest book tells the story of Debbie Davis, one of the victims of Boston mobster Whitey Bulger and Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi, from the point of view of Davis’ family.

Bob, a member of Washington and Lee’s Class of 1985, is the weekend sports anchor on Boston’s ABC affiliate, WCVB. He’s previously written books about boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward (see our previous blog), the Boston Red Sox, and the intersection of high school football and gangs in Chelsea, Mass.

The complete title of his new book is “Impact Statement: A Family’s Fight for Justice against Whitey Bulger, Stephen Flemmi and the FBI.”

Bob tells the story of Bulger’s relationship with Steve Davis, whose own criminal activity put him and his family in the line of fire and led eventually to the death of Davis’ sister, Debbie.

Hailed as a “tough-as-nails portrait of the close-knit connection among organized crime, the FBI and the deaths of innocent people,” the book explores the impact that Bulger and Flemmi had on the Davis family. In 2003, Flemmi, now serving a life sentence, testified how he had lured Debbie to a house, where Bulger strangled her. Through his trial, which ended in August, Bulger insisted he would never have killed a woman.

In his book, Bob included up-to-the-minute coverage of the Bulger trial. He watched the proceedings alongside Steve Davis and live tweeted from the courtroom on Aug. 12, when the jury found Bulger guilty of 11 murders but had no finding on the murder of Debbie Davis.

Watch a demo reel about the book on IMBD. The book is published by Skyhorse Publishing.

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