true crime – Ernie W. Webb III

Twelve Days of Christmas, Part IX: An excerpt from Chapter 12 of ‘Goodbye, Butterfly’

Leave a Comment / true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 12, “My Strawberry is Gone,” of the bestseller “Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, faith and forgiveness in a small Kansas town.” You can order the book online. Once Bob finished his message, the service moved to the cemetery to the south and just off Douglas Road, less than a quarter […]

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Happy Heavenly 81st birthday to my dad

Leave a Comment / dad, true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

The old man would have celebrated his 81st birthday today. It’s hard to believe it’s been more than six years since he died at age 74 in August 2019. Until it was clear that he no longer wanted to fight the good fight after months of enduring bone cancer, Dad’s goal was to reach age

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Sharing an excerpt from Chapter 2 of “Goodbye, Butterfly” on the anniversary of Brenda Keller’s passing

Leave a Comment / death, faith, true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Ernie W. Webb III’s “Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, faith and forgiveness in a small Kansas town.” The chapter introduces readers to Brenda Keller and her family. To know the Kellers is to know their faith. The son of a pastor, Bob is well-versed in God’s word, and

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Where not to pull off the road: The Colonial Parkway

Leave a Comment / true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

If you’ve lived in Hampton Roads, you know the often-irritating trek on Interstate 64. Sure, it’s a highway with beautiful surroundings, namely trees and some fine views of the numerous waterways, but also often a nightmare when you’re behind the wheel. During my short time in the region from 2007 to 2009, I worked at

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Saying goodbye to the kind and thoughtful Ruth Lange

1 Comment / afterlife, true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

Every once in a while on Facebook, I receive a notification about a wave or a poke. The latter I typically find awkward. It’s such an “old school” thing on social media, and I know some people find it to be pushy. Heck, I got a poke the other day, which led me to think,

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Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part III: Why the old man finally found his way

Leave a Comment / dad, fatherhood, true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

I’ve written at length about my father’s early transgressions. Needless to say, he fought the law a lot, and the law ultimately won. What began with stealing BBs from a hardware store in Baldwin, Kansas, steadily escalated. First, as a pre-teen, he began burglarizing the houses of the people on his newspaper route. Then, he

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Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part II: The origin of the title “Goodbye, Butterfly”

Leave a Comment / faith, non-fiction, true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

“What’s the title?” In the years leading up to the release of “Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, Faith and Forgiveness in a Small Kansas Town,” that was the question people asked more than any other. For six years, I didn’t have an answer. Book titles are tricky. They are also incredibly important. Without a good title, you’re

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Thoughts about the book on the 33rd anniversary of Brenda Keller’s death

Leave a Comment / faith, true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

Oct. 19, 1991, was just like most of my Saturdays growing up. As was the case on many of our weekends during the fall, my brother and I were with our parents at craft shows. On that Saturday, I was with my dad at the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City, Kansas. It was one

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A thank you on the official release day for ‘Goodbye, Butterfly’

Leave a Comment / faith, true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out how to start this blog, and I suddenly realized the lead is sitting in my lap. Literally. For several years now, I’ve used a large scrapbook my mother gave as a small table while I write from the couch (usually with a Royals game or ID channel

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My mother-in-law’s story on ‘Goodbye, Butterfly’ in the local paper: Sports writer evolves into published author

Leave a Comment / faith, Goodbye Butterfly, true crime / By Ernie W. Webb III

Note: This story ran in the Aug. 22, 2024, edition of the Osage County Herald-Chronicle, which was the first paper I worked at as a high school student in the early 1990s and later as a sports editor during college. It was written by Sheila Curtis, who is not only a mentor (my high school

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