With the decades-old cold case involving the murder of Saxonburg Police Chief Greg Adams now closed, investigators are revealing new information never before shared with the public.
“We don’t know exactly what happened on Dec. 4, 1980,” Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger said Thursday during a press conference.
But, investigators now have a clearer picture and they are sharing that information.
Donald Eugene Webb had been on the run from police ever since he was named the prime suspect in the murder of Chief Adams. The two came in contact that cold night in Saxonburg when the chief pulled Webb over for a traffic violation. A fight ensued and Chief Adams ended up shot and killed.
Despite speculation of what exactly happened during that fight, investigators now know how hard Chief Adams fought for his life.
“What we didn’t realize until this investigation really unfolded in the last few weeks was the hero that Chief Adams actually was,” Goldinger said.
Investigators say many believed Chief Adams shot Webb in the leg during the fight, but that was not the case. Chief Adams actually kicked him so hard, that it caused permanent damage to his leg.
“He suffered a compound fracture, which is why there was blood found at the scene, which was linked to Webb,” he said. “He was never able to properly use his leg again.”
Webb also lost his lower lip in the fight and remained disfigured for the rest of his life.
“Donald Webb lived in seclusion, in permanent pain, with permanent disfigurement…so if there was any justice in 37 years, Chief Adams delivered that justice himself,” Goldinger said.
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It was through information provided by Donald Webb’s widow that led authorities to his remains last week in a backyard in Massachusetts.
In exchange for that information, Lillian Webb was granted immunity in Pennsylvania.
But District Attorney Rich Goldinger says that’s not exactly what it seems.
“The reality is, we couldn’t charge Lillian Webb with anything here in Pennsylvania…she didn’t commit any crimes here,” Goldinger said Thursday. “Anything she may have done in harboring Donald Webb would have occurred in Massachusetts. We gave her immunity from nothing.”
The DA says without Lillian Webb’s information, Donald Webb may never have been located.
Through Lillian’s information, investigators learned that Webb spent the last 37 years of his life living in seclusion in secret rooms and basements in two homes in Massachusetts. After a pair of strokes in the late 90s, he became disabled and unable to care for himself. He advised Lillian that when he died, to bury him in the backyard.
“And that is exactly what she did,” Goldinger said.
Investigators say Lillian Webb was also given immunity in the state of Massachusetts; however, she still could face federal charges.
