Top Stories

Son of murdered police chief speaks out 40 years later

SAXONBURG, Pa. — Nearly 40 years after the Saxonburg police chief was murdered during a traffic stop, his son is speaking out for the first time.

"I remember him taking me to wash the car on weekends, and the smell of his soap," said Ben Adams, the son of murdered police Chief Greg Adams.

Ben was just 2 years old, when his father was shot and killed during a traffic stop in 1980.

Sgt. Chris Birckbichler, who began working on the case in 2005, showed Target 11 the crime scene photos. They show that Adams had pulled over a car, and then a violent fight followed. Adams was shot and killed.

A dead man's driver's license found at the scene of the crime led police to Donald Eugene Webb, a career criminal from Boston, Massachusetts with ties to the mafia. Police said they believe Webb was in Saxonburg casing a jewelry store for a planned robbery. Investigators found Webb's car at a hotel in Rhode Island, and then quickly turned their attention to Webb's wife, Lillian, who lived outside of Boston.

"She was under FBI surveillance for years and years," said Birckbichler.

Over those years, there was never any sign of Donald Webb. He became one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives.

In 2016, investigators searched Lillian Webb's home and discovered inside a secret room that locked from the inside. In the room was a chair and a cane. Target 11's Rick Earle exclusively obtained a photo of the room, and this is the first time anyone outside law enforcement has seen it.

RELATED HEADLINES:

Adams' family then filed a civil lawsuit against Lillian and Donald Webb, accusing them of wrongful death, and police turned up the heat in their investigation.

"I explained to [Lillian Webb] that this case wasn't going to end. It was not going to stop. That I was the 15th or 16th detective to work on it in Pennsylvania, but I wouldn't be the last. I could be the last if we found Don," said Birckbichler.

Days later, investigators received a letter from Lillian Webb's attorney, saying she had something to tell them. But in exchange for the information, she wanted immunity. Prosecutors agreed, and set up a meeting with the 82-year-old woman.

"When I asked the question, 'Do you know where Don is? Can you lead us to Don?' she said 'yes.' I said, 'Where is Don?'," said Birckbichler.

Lillian said she would take police to her husband, who was in the back yard. She took them out back behind a shed.

"She removed a small wooden stool and she set it aside and with her foot she drew a line in the dirt and said, 'He's buried here'," said Birckbichler.

Lillian told investigators Don Webb died in 1999 after a stroke. She said she dug a hole and buried his body in a plastic bin. She told them that her husband admitted to killing Adams years ago after a violent fight that left Webb with a broken leg and a lifelong limp.

After the discovery and hearing the shocking admission, Birckbichler had an emotional call with Chief Greg Adams' former partner.

RELATED STORY: Inside a killer's secret hideout, an 11 News exclusive

"He said, God bless you and God bless everybody up there," said Birckbichler.

"We got closure. We know what happened to him. Did he ultimately pay for his crime? No. Was he brought to justice? Depends on your point of view," said Ben Adams.

Ben said he's still frustrated that Lillian Webb has never been charged, and said he still has a lot of unanswered questions.

"He had to get some kind of medical support. He had to get some kind of help," said Ben Adams. "There's no way she could have done it on her own."

You can find more Target 11 Investigations HERE OR you can submit something you would like for Target 11 to Investigate by CLICKING HERE.

WATCH Target 11 Investigation: City of Pittsburgh losing out on money from scrap metal

TRENDING NOW: