Donald Eugene Webb
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| FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives | |
| Image:Donaldwebb.jpg Donald Eugene Webb |
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| Born: | July 14, 1931 |
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| Charged with: | Unlawful flight to avoid prosecution - Murder; Attempted burglary |
| Date Added: | May 4, 1981 |
| Date Removed: | March 31, 2007 |
| Number on List: | #375 |
| Removed from Top Ten Fugitive list | |
Donald Eugene Perkins (A. D. Baker, Donald Eugene Perkins, Donald Eugene Pierce, John S. Portas, Stanley John Portas, Bev Webb, Eugene Bevlin Webb, Eugene Donald Webb, Stanley Webb, Johannes Hecker) (born July 14, 1931 in Oklahoma), better known as Donald Eugene Webb, is a fugitive from justice wanted for allegedly killing police chief [Gregory Adams] in the small community of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania on December 4, 1980. On May 4, 1981, he became the 375th fugitive to be placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigations's "Ten Most Wanted" list. Still at large after more than a quarter of a century, Webb was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List longer than any other fugitive since its creation in 1950, (25 years, 10 months, and 27 days).
He was removed from the list on March 31, 2007, without ever being located. He was replaced by Shauntay L. Henderson, who was caught on her very first day as a "Top Tenner." (Webb was placed on the list before Henderson was even born.)
[edit] Biography
Webb is the son of a Native American father and a white mother. His father abandoned him when he was a small child. In 1956, Webb officially changed his name for reasons unknown.
Webb worked as a youngster in various honest jobs before he allegedly went into a criminal career. He was a butcher, restaurant manager, vending machine repairman and salesman. He has sold, among other things, automobiles, real estate and jewelry. During his stint as a jewelry salesman, he became an expert in the subject of jewelry, and it was at that point police believe he started committing crimes.
Webb was being sought for his suspected involvement in a jewelry burglary that took place in Colonie, New York when he arrived at the community of Saxonburg, the same day that he allegedly shot officer Adams. He was there, according to police reports, to hunt for new jewelry stores to steal from.
[edit] Adams' killing
It is generally believed that on the afternoon of December 4, 1980, Webb, probably planning a robbery, ran a stop sign, and he was spotted by police chief Gregory Adams. Adams proceeded to stop him, and Webb was cooperative at first. But when he stepped out of his car, a brawl between the two men ensued. Webb was shot in his right forearm, but he still had the strength to hit the officer with a blunt object, knocking the officer down and shooting him twice; the fatal shot, the second one, went through Adams' heart.
When he left the crime scene, Webb was injured and bleeding, and police went to several local hospitals and doctor's offices in search of the alleged killer. But he did not stop for medical attention; this is one reason the FBI believes he may actually have died following the shooting of officer Adams.
In 1990, FBI director William Sessions received a letter written by someone claiming to be Webb, asking for forgiveness to Adams' family. The letter said that Webb was thinking about giving himself up. Handwriting tests were conducted, and the results were inconclusive.
Another reason that police officers and the FBI believe that Webb might be dead is that he might have been sent to Pennsylvania to commit jewelery robberies, not to shoot an officer, which would have brought much unwanted attention to his group of gangsters. Had robbery been the sole reason that Webb went to Pennsylvania, he may have been murdered by other members of his own syndicate.
