Gregory Webb
Encyclopedia
Gregory J. Webb is a former police chief of Lyons, Nebraska
, who was convicted of killing his neighbor, Anna Anton. He pleaded no contest after being arrested in Holly Hill, Florida
, to manslaughter
and tampering with evidence
. He was wanted by the FBI
and was captured thanks to the help of a viewer tip after his case aired on the popular television program, Unsolved Mysteries
.
in 1996, Webb was arrested in Florida on a murder warrant in the December 1986 shooting death of his girlfriend, Anna Anton. He was recognized by a friend, John Brereton who was watching the NBC
program Unsolved Mysteries
. Webb was going for the name Jim Webber and worked as a construction worker. When Brenton recognized his colleague on UM, he alerted the authorities. Anton, 34, disappeared December 15, 1986, and her body was found 12 days later 20 miles north of Lyons. She had been shot three times.
In addition to national exposure for years on Unsolved Mysteries, there were also feature articles by the Associated Press
, the Chicago Tribune
, the then Cincinnati Post, and Orlando Sentinel
, among others.
Anton lived below Webb's apartment. Several weeks before she disappeared, she gave Shirley Edgecomb, her closest neighbor in Lyons, an envelope containing the name of a woman friend in Iowa to contact "in case anything happens to me," Edgecomb said Anton told her.
Webb was released from prison on August 22, 2002. The duplex, where Anton lived in the lower apartment and Webb in the upper, was demolished in 2008. In October 2008, SPIKE TV's revived 'Unsolved Mysteries
', hosted by Dennis Farina, featured Webb's case again and provided an update on his case.
Lyons, Nebraska
Lyons is a city in Burt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 851 in the 2010 U.S. Census. The city is named after its founder.-History :...
, who was convicted of killing his neighbor, Anna Anton. He pleaded no contest after being arrested in Holly Hill, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, to manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and tampering with evidence
Evidence management
Evidence management is the administration and control of evidence related to an event so that it can be used to prove the circumstances of the event, and so that this proof can be tested by independent parties with confidence that the evidence provided is the evidence collected related to the...
. He was wanted by the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and was captured thanks to the help of a viewer tip after his case aired on the popular television program, Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
.
in 1996, Webb was arrested in Florida on a murder warrant in the December 1986 shooting death of his girlfriend, Anna Anton. He was recognized by a friend, John Brereton who was watching the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
program Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
. Webb was going for the name Jim Webber and worked as a construction worker. When Brenton recognized his colleague on UM, he alerted the authorities. Anton, 34, disappeared December 15, 1986, and her body was found 12 days later 20 miles north of Lyons. She had been shot three times.
In addition to national exposure for years on Unsolved Mysteries, there were also feature articles by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, the then Cincinnati Post, and Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
, among others.
Anton lived below Webb's apartment. Several weeks before she disappeared, she gave Shirley Edgecomb, her closest neighbor in Lyons, an envelope containing the name of a woman friend in Iowa to contact "in case anything happens to me," Edgecomb said Anton told her.
Webb was released from prison on August 22, 2002. The duplex, where Anton lived in the lower apartment and Webb in the upper, was demolished in 2008. In October 2008, SPIKE TV's revived 'Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
', hosted by Dennis Farina, featured Webb's case again and provided an update on his case.