Episode 2: Daniel Webb
Daniel Webb grew up in a musical and religious family in the state of Connecticut, but unfortunately trouble and delinquency followed him wherever he went. Despite attending church regularly, with his father being a preacher of an African Baptist Pentecostal Church, and being a member of the choir, Daniel just couldn’t help but find himself in trouble with the law. As he got older, these habits and desires only grew and he began to escalate in the severity of his crimes.
One warm day in August of 1989, Daniel Webb woke up and decided that he was going to commit his most heinous crime yet. Despite having a history of rape and absolutely vicious attacks on women around Connecticut, Daniel had yet to commit an act such as murder. He had prior convictions involving intentionally rear ending women on the highway, and when they got out to check the damage- he would assault them. In addition to that, he was caught forcing women’s cars off the freeway, and even abducting and raping a woman in a local park.
At around noon on this day, Daniel Webb attacked and abducted the vice president of the local Connecticut National Bank, Diane Gellenbeck. She was walking to her car in the parking garage, heading to a business meeting over her lunch period. After forcing her into his car and bringing her to a local park, Daniel forced Diane to take off her underwear and proceeded to try to rape her. The brave woman showed extreme perseverance and managed to escape the car, only to have Daniel immediately shoot her in the back several times. Those shots were not fatal, and Diane continued to try to get away by crawling along the ground, shouting for help. Daniel was driving next to her, at a slow crawl, and continued to shoot her again- two more times. At this point, he got out of the car, and shot the fatal blow directly into Diane’s face. He did all of this with an audience, as the park they were in was public and bustling with people on walks, having picnics and golfing at the golf course nearby.
Daniel was immediately apprehended by police and set to trial. After an intense trial, he was sentenced to death for the heinous murder of an innocent, well-loved member of the community. Daniel sat on death row for over 20 years, when the state of Connecticut abolished the death penalty for all future cases. This angered Daniel Webb and the 11 other members of death row in Connecticut, so he fought for an addendum to the law and include all of those who were waiting for execution currently. Somehow, his voice had an impact on the decision and his sentence was ultimately commuted to life in prison, along with the other men who sat on death row with him.
Image sources:
The Hartford Courant