Thirty-seven years after Saxonburg Police Chief Gregory Adams was murdered, new information is being learned for the first time about how his killer eluded capture for decades.

Some of the heretofore unpublished evidence also contradicts previously reported media accounts about what happened to suspect Donald Webb, who would die a fugitive.

A master thief with ties to the New England mob, Webb's demise was ignominious — buried in a hole in his backyard. His remains would rot there — unseen and undisturbed — for 18 years.

In an interview with Trooper Max DeLuca, Criminal Investigation Assessment trooper for Troop D, who took over the cold case recently, he discussed what the suspect's wife, Lillian Webb, recounted to him during two interviews, eventually revealing the location of Donald Webb's remains in the backyard.

DeLuca also discussed previous evidence uncovered by former Pennsylvania and Massachusetts State Police and FBI investigators during the 37-year-long investigation.

Despite reports that Adams had managed to shoot Webb during their confrontation in December of 1980, investigators believe Adams actually broke his ankle.

Using a fake name, he was admitted to Tobey Hospital in Wareham, Mass., to recuperate from a compound fracture to his left ankle, Webb moved to an apartment in the Massachusetts area, “near the water,” Lillian Webb told police.

He eventually would return to his wife's house, though he did not live there full time, frequently leaving for periods of time during which his activities were unknown.

With his health deteriorating, Lillian bought the house in New Bedford, Mass. in 1997, where Donald would live for his final two years, though he was never once seen by neighbors.

One revelation in the case came after a secret room was found built into the back of a closet.

“You couldn't live in there,” DeLuca said. “I would classify it as a hiding space.”

It was in the yard of that house where Lillian would bury his remains, per his instructions, after his death in 1999.

Many more details about the investigation, including Webb's activities after the murder, the efforts of law enforcement to find him and the granting of immunity to his widow will be reported in today's Butler Eagle.