{'byline': 'by Andrew Limberg', 'hosts': '', 'byline_sources': '', 'audience_id': '', 'original_station': [{'station': 'wwjnewsradio', 'path': 'wwjnewsradio/news/national/erie-city-councilman-seemingly-admits-to-murder'}], 'syndicated_items': [{'station': 'wccoradio', 'path': '/wccoradio/news/national/erie-city-councilman-seemingly-admits-to-murder'}, {'station': 'wben', 'path': '/wben/news/national/erie-city-councilman-seemingly-admits-to-murder'}, {'station': 'krld', 'path': '/krld/news/national/erie-city-councilman-seemingly-admits-to-murder'}, {'station': 'wbbm780', 'path': '/wbbm780/news/national/erie-city-councilman-seemingly-admits-to-murder'}, {'station': 'kdawn', 'path': '/kdawn/news/erie-city-councilman-seemingly-admits-to-murder'}, {'station': 'talk980am', 'path': '/talk980am/news/national/erie-city-councilman-seemingly-admits-to-murder'}, {'station': 'kmox', 'path': '/kmox/news/national/erie-city-councilman-seemingly-admits-to-murder'}, {'station': 'knss', 'path': 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src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&amp;feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Fepisode%2F7527523_2025-07-17-194923&amp;withPlaylist=false&amp;playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>', 'isIframe': True, 'componentVariation': 'html-embed', 'fbInstantArticleHtml': '<iframe width="100%" height="165px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&amp;feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Fepisode%2F7527523_2025-07-17-194923&amp;withPlaylist=false&amp;playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/html-embed/instances/cmd7tuzbx001f01sqt2azeysu@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Mel Witherspoon said he shot someone “in the head point blank” while he was a 17-year-old gang member.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmd7tuzbx001g01sq3to7nm7u@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'The 80-year-old council president is in his final year serving and said during the meeting the fatal shooting of Marchello Woodard two weeks ago by a state patrol agent in Erie triggered his memory of the incident.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmd7tuzbx001h01sqbn0r0cfr@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'During his story, Witherspoon said he was going to college in Nebraska when he and a group of his friends “got high” and ended with him shooting his friend in the head.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmd7tuzbx001i01sq25gneofs@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I mean, I have watched this 4 times now.<br />It is stunning. Just incredible. From last night.<br />Erie city council president Mel Witherspoon on shooting a man when he was 17 and getting away with it due to mafia connections. He’s 80. <br /><br /> <a href="https://t.co/naJiLyVbgH">pic.twitter.com/naJiLyVbgH</a></p>— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) <a href="https://twitter.com/colin_dunlap/status/1945918561072853184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>', 'isIframe': False, 'componentVariation': 'html-embed', 'fbInstantArticleHtml': '<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I mean, I have watched this 4 times now.<br>It is stunning. Just incredible. From last night.<br>Erie city council president Mel Witherspoon on shooting a man when he was 17 and getting away with it due to mafia connections. He’s 80. <br><br> <a href="https://t.co/naJiLyVbgH">pic.twitter.com/naJiLyVbgH</a></p>— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) <a href="https://twitter.com/colin_dunlap/status/1945918561072853184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/html-embed/instances/cmd7tuzbx001j01sq6s5s4l0q@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Due to his connections with the mob in his hometown of Jersey City, he says he only spent one night in jail and never appeared in court.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmd7tuzbx001k01sqxfj9u5kj@published'}, {'data': {'text': '“That’s having the right contact at the right time,” said Witherspoon. “The point is, when my son told me about (Woodard), it all came back.”', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmd7tuzbx001l01sqpk6i3i04@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/mel-witherspoon-erie-city-shooting-b2790966.html">See a video of what he said HERE.</a> The city later released a statement saying they had no comment on the councilman\'s claims. It\'s worth noting that in Pennsylvania, there is no statute of limitations for murder and that includes all forms of homicide, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and voluntary manslaughter', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmd7uehjw000q357tcjzrnr62@published'}], 'feedImg': {'data': {'alt': 'Police tape ', 'url': 'https://radioimg.audacy.com/aiu-media/GettyImages1889004792-1-e4c3478c-610a-4c0f-bd04-9c343d664d56.jpg', 'width': 2121, 'credit': 'Getty Images', 'height': 1414, 'mimeType': 'image/jpeg', 'sizeInBytes': '181237', 'componentVariation': 'feed-image'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/feed-image/instances/cmd7tuzbw001b01sql4dt2g89@published'}, 'sources': [], '_version': 24, 'featured': False, 'headline': 'City Council President admits shooting man in the head', 'isCloned': True, 'msnTitle': 'City Council President admits shooting man in the head', 'slugLock': True, 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