True Crime with Kimbyr - Single Mother’s Dream Turned Nightmare: The Tragic Murder of Donna Willard: Part 3

Episode Date: April 2, 2025

In the gripping conclusion of True Crime with Kimbyr’s coverage of Donna Willard’s murder, justice is finally within reach. But the truth behind her tragic fate is even more chilling than anyone imagined. As the case unravels, shocking revelations come to light—secrets, betrayals, and a devastating motive. Did the legal system deliver true justice? Or were there unanswered questions left behind? Kimbyrleigha breaks down the final verdict and the lasting impact of this haunting case. Don’t miss the emotional conclusion to Donna Willard’s heartbreaking story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The timing of everything was enough for prosecutor Lee Dobkin from the U.S. Attorney's Office to decide he was going to add Donna's homicide investigation to the ongoing insurance fraud investigations against Robert, and they were going to bring in the FBI. That's when things really start getting pieced together even more. They contacted every grand jury witness that had been subpoenaed just like Donna had, and guess what? There were a number of Robert's former clients who told investigators they were contacted by Robert himself prior to when they were supposed to appear before the grand jury. Robert was fully aware of every step going on in the investigation.

He was using his legal expertise to send out FOIA requests and other means to be one step ahead of the government or try to be. He knew about the subpoenas, and he began contacting each one of his clients that he believed would have any information for the feds. He was reaching out inquiring about what they plan to say on the stand. Interesting. Very interesting. And some of the clients told investigators that Robert was telling them exactly what to say, coaching them. And to the investigator's surprise, many of these clients were actually willing to commit perjury.

Because here was this high-powered attorney putting pressure on them, a man that knows the law. He has more resources than they do. It was intimidating. Now, Lieutenant Whitty was interested to know if Robert had coached Donna. Had he been in contact with her at all? She hadn't said anything specific. specifically to her mother or sister about Robert personally speaking with her. So they began interviewing every single one of Donna's clients for the past year, possibly beyond. And if you've been to a hair salon, I'm sure you know, it's common for clients and their stylists to talk. Sometimes, stylists joke that they should be getting paid to be a therapist as well,

because they're there to listen. Once a client sits in their chair, it's like a safe place to reveal their secrets. You know that Donna's clients loved her. I mean, her fiancée used to be a client and ended up proposing. There was no denying that Donna had very close relationships with many of her clients over the last decade. Lieutenant Whitty wanted to know if any of Donna's clients had ever heard of Robert Burke or seen him speaking to Donna recently. Finally, one of her clients remembered Donna talking to her business partner and close friend,

Dolores Faye, about having to meet with an attorney. This was about six months ago. She didn't know the specifics, but recalled hearing about any. attorney and a meeting. That was enough to ask Dolores if she remembered anything in regard to Donna meeting with attorney. She knows a lot more than they expected. She tells them, I'm not only Donna's business partner, but I'm one of her closest friends and confidants. Dolores tells investigators that Donna told her Robert Burke came to see her at the salon. He showed up out of the blue and insisted that she take a little drive with him.

Well, when Donna comes back, she's like, okay, so he took me to some random building. And the man was like, you recall coming here, right? For your medical treatments? And Donna, she's looking around. She's like, no, I didn't come here. And then he kind of repeated again with emphasis, like, hint, hint, you came here to see Dr. Sagan. The doctor who treated you for your injuries in the car accident. And still, Donna was like, no, no, I don't know what you're getting at.

Then when they were driving back, it finally hit her, that he was trying to get her to lie At least that is what she relayed back to Dolores. She got back and she was worried. She didn't know the full extent to why Robert would be doing this because she wasn't aware of any lawsuits that were going on at that point, but something felt off. This was around the same time Donna came to her mom and told her that she thought she may be in trouble,

but she doesn't know why. Here's this attorney trying to make her lie. She was very confused but scared. Her family thinks that she was so afraid, that she was scared to even tell them why she was in fear. Jones said she felt like her sister was trapped in her own personal hell. Clearly, piecing it together had to be connected to Robert, and it gets crazier. Dolores said that just a few days before Donna was killed, she told her that she had gotten off the phone with someone in relation to her upcoming testimony, and she said, quote,

If I testify, I'll end up with two bullet holes in my head, end quote. And this was in front of her coworkers and patrons of the salon. They confirmed overhearing this conversation. They were like, what is going on? She explained that some person had just called, they had disguised their voice, and they told her if she didn't go along with what she was told to say on the stand,

she was gonna end up with two bullets in her head. And days later, she does end up with two bullets in her head. Obviously, it was beginning to truly look like someone was attempting to silence Donna. As far as they could tell, she was the only former client not willing to lie about going to see Dr. Sagan. She was pushing back.

She was feisty. She was honest and she wanted to do the right thing. She felt conflicted for that choice because she was apparently being threatened with murder. But not only that, there's more. Marianne said Donna was petrified the day before she was killed. She literally said to her, quote, I think I just signed my own death warrant, end quote.

Now the whole family and investigators are putting it all together. No one had the full story. all of them had pieces, and they'd never truly know what Doug, Robert, or anyone else said to Donna. But the police, they were able to locate that call that came in, that she received that day in the salon, from analyzing the phone records, but they couldn't trace it. In the days leading up to the murder after the subpoena was served, Robert made several calls to Donna, and she made a number of calls to Robert Burke's office, and also to her ex-Dug, who was the driver of the car involved in the car accident.

Every day, she was in more and more fear. When Dolores noticed how anxious Donna had been, she asked her if everything was okay, and Donna responded by telling her, quote, this is deeper than you could ever imagine. And investigators were going deeper and deeper to understand where these fears were coming from. Her fiance Tommy gave them some insight

into how Donna felt about snitches. I told you her sister's husband. He was a former cop. Well, because of that, Donna spent a lot of time at the local fraternal order of police lodge with her sister and her sister's husband. I wasn't really aware of what this was, so this is from their website.

It says the National Fraternal Order of the Police is the world's largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers with more than 364,000 members and more than 2,200 lodges. We are the voice of those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving our communities. We are committed to improving the working conditions

of law enforcement officers and the safety of those we serve. through education, legislation, information, community involvement, and employee representation. What I'm trying to get out is Donna was friends with a lot of police officers. She valued them and their work. Her brother-in-law had been convicted of corruption, and the witnesses that testified against them were both officers who used to be part of his squad, and they went against him. Donna attended that trial. She was very invested. And you know what? Regardless of what we think,

we don't know her, we don't know her brother-in-law, we don't know what the truth truly was, but a jury found him guilty, and that's the law. But Donna was so worried about this outcome that she had written a letter to the Pope, praying for a not-guilty verdict. Donna had a deep faith in God. Her Catholic religion was very important to her, so much so.

She sent three of her children to Catholic school, and she had a statue of St. John Newman by her bedside right next to her makeshift weapons. That's the Catholic saint that's known to heal children of sickness, and ailments, and we know how much Donna loved her children. All this is to say, Donna didn't want to be known as a snitch. She didn't want anyone to view her as going against anyone else

and outing them because of the experience she just had with her brother-in-law's trial. Even though the federal insurance fraud case was a lot different, she kind of just wanted the whole thing to go away. So much so, she told her mother she was going to retain her own counsel. And on March 5th, the day before she was killed, she went to a meeting with one. They were able to track him down.

A center city lawyer, Martin L. Trishon. Donna had specifically had a consultation with him in regard to her grand jury appearance. But of course, he was not at liberty to divulge the content of their conversation, but what he said is that he believed from what Donna had told him that she would have been a very important government witness.

Donna's mother said that after that consultation, her daughter was still scared. So that should indicate she still didn't know what to do. And she would never get a chance to figure it out because someone ended her life. It turned out that her ex-Dug was actually a claimant in the insurance fraud case. That's why he wanted to speak with Donna because the outcome of this case would affect him personally. He was most likely hoping that Robert Burke would be found guilty, probably because Doug found out about the scams. And maybe he felt ripped off, but who knows?

We will never know what those conversation entailed. But there was clearly a back and forth, a push and pull, and Donna was torn about what to do. Admit the truth that she never saw Dr. Sagan, help out her ex get reimbursed or receive restitution, and make Robert Burke pay for his deceitful scam, or lie to protect her life. Someone made that decision for her. On March 21st, 1992, two weeks after Donna's murder, the Insurance Task Force released information about 11 indictments, involving 27 individuals, including at least two doctors and a lawyer. Robert Burke was at the top of that list.

There were at least 66 counts in one document that I saw charging Robert Burke with money laundering among a slew of other claims. It alleged that he obtained money and property by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, knowing that such pretenses, representations, and promises were false and fraudulent when they were made.

The goal of this entire scheme was to get money from insurance companies by making false and fraudulent personal injuries, and disability claims against them and they're insured. And as part of this ongoing scheme, the defendant, Robert Burke, would and did encourage clients to stage car accidents for the purpose of submitting fraudulent insurance claims. Damn!

Lieutenant Whitty said, after all the pieces have been put together, it appeared as though this lovely single mom, who wanted so badly to know what she should do and wanted to do the right thing, had been callously executed in front of her children just to prevent her from testifying, and he was horrified. There was no way he was going to sleep

until he solved this case. Even though they had no evidence linking Robert Burke to Donna's murderer, there was a clear motive for him to want her dead. Lieutenant Whittie's team, as well as the FBI, worked tirelessly, and by May of that same year, the insurance fraud investigators had enough evidence

to charge Robert Burke with obstruction of justice. But not murder. At least, this would get him into custody and they would begin to fight for justice. He was arrested on May 7, 1990, and was escorted right to the U.S. Marshal's office with no bail. Just three months later, he was facing a judge, and he pled guilty to 97 counts of fraud and obstruction of justice. But to Donna's family's dismay and utter disappointment, Robert only got five years in prison. It was unreal.

Everyone knew he was the reason Donna was dead, and he probably wouldn't even end up spending the full five years behind bars. It was infuriating. The family was insulting. It was like a slap on the wrist. Well, Lieutenant Whittie wasn't willing to give up. He was like the Aaron Brockovich of this case. He knew every player. He knew every detail.

He was in the thick of it, and he would work on Donna's case non-stop. He was determined to find a link between Donna and Robert that proved he had killed her. And just before Christmas of that same year, 1990, a time when Donna was supposed to be getting married, a time where her children were going to spend a holiday, their first holiday, without their mother.

One of the FBI's agents had, had received a call from out in New Jersey, which is where Donna's accident had occurred, by the way. And apparently some guy had walked right into the FBI field office and confessed that he had information about the involvement in the murder for hire plot to kill Donna Willard. What? Everyone was stunned.

Who was this man? His name was Jack Fawley. They were like, okay, we know every person in Robert Burke's inner circle and we've never heard of this guy. Well, when they dug into his past, it turns out, He had a long criminal record. He was a career criminal. And he said he had driven the car that night that pulled up to Donna's house in Southwest Philly.

And one of the people he drove there killed Donna and he was their getaway driver. He went on to explain that he got involved in all of this due to a man named David Louis. David had told Jack he was looking to have someone taken care of, killed. Now when the name David Louis was mentioned, it was like fireworks. That was the link. That was the connection that investigators had been working so hard to find because David Louis was a name that they had on their list of people in Robert's inner circle. Not only that, David Louis was well known to the FBI and to the prosecutor in Robert Burke's case because he too, like Donna, had been one of Robert Burke's former clients. He had been subpoenaed just like she had. He, like so many others, had retained Robert and been treated by Dr. Sagan, then received an insurance settlement.

So of course they bring him in for questioning, and right away as leverage, they let him know, look, you've been outed. Jack Foley told us everything. He hadn't told them everything, but enough to know that he was pointing a finger at David as the person who solicited murder. David breaks pretty quickly. He explains Robert Burke had admitted to him that he was really worried about Donna. Her testimony was very powerful and he was afraid that it would cause everything to come crumbling down. That's when Robert handed him some cash with the intention for David to go out there and find someone willing to get rid of their little problem. David went to Jack and asked him if he knew anyone willing to commit the murder.

Jack got back to him and said, I know someone, a former flower delivery man, Javier LeBron, and that this guy may be open to doing it very cheaply because, oh, that was another thing. Robert Burke was looking for murder on a budget. He needed discount murder for hire. Jack explained that Javier was addicted to heroin, and he would do almost anything for drugs or money to get drugs and fuel his addiction. So the plan was set in motion. On the night of March 6th, it was David Louis and Jack Foley along with Javier LeBron that drove up the street from Donna's house and parked. Javier then jumped out of the car with a 9mm handgun while David and Jack waited.

Javier walked up to Donna's door, knocked, waited for her to answer, and then shot her. When he gets back to the car, the three men drove away. When confirmation came in that Donna was dead, Javier got paid. And here is what is so shocking to me, and I guess it shouldn't be, but it always is. It's the amount. 980 in cash and $20 worth of heroin. So this man heartlessly killed a woman in cold blood, someone's mother, someone's daughter, sister, aunt, loved one for $1,000. That's how much her life meant to him.

It didn't matter the price. A person's life is priceless. You can't bring them back. And once all of this is related to Donna's family, they cannot believe it. But they're so happy that someone was going to be arrested for Donna's murder. And on December 28th, FBI agents banged down the door to Javier LeBron's house. He was in his underwear in front of his Christmas tree and he was arrested right then and there.

Lieutenant Whitty was standing nearby and he said, we got you to his face. Finally, he was going to be put to justice. Lieutenant Whitty felt that this was the best Christmas gift that he could give to Donna's mother to finally catch the monsters that did this to her daughter. But wait, because I must tell you the outcome. By the spring of the next year in May of 1991, Javier was tried and found guilty of Donna's murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. Now both David Louis and Jack Foley testified against him at his trial. And for those two, well, Jack, the driver, got 15 years in prison and the middleman, David Louis, got 25 years.

both for conspiracy to commit murder. But what about Robert Burke? Well, his lawyer insisted that he had no knowledge of the plan to have Donna killed, and that the two witnesses were unreliable. You know, these two guys that had already been charged? No. They're just lying for their own benefit.

The prosecutor agreed that both of these men, Jack and David, were in his words, sleaze balls, who had no remorse. But he went on to say that the government wasn't asking anyone to admire them. Instead, he showed that their testimony is corroborated. Jack Foley was wearing a wire, and Javier never denied killing Donna. Jack even asked, can I have the gun back?

The gun used was a 9mm, the same type of gun that Robert Burke owned. So the prosecutor made it clear that there was no way Jack and David orchestrated this crime without their mastermind, Robert Burke, who was already in prison for being the puppet master of an intensive insurance fraud scheme and conspiring with both of these same guys to obstruct justice. So he said to the jury about whether to believe that Jack and David did this themselves, he said, quote, members of the jury, respectfully, if you buy that, you buy the tooth fairy, end quote. He also knew that this was just the beginning. Lee Dobkin brought murder charges against none other than Robert Burke. Finally. And in August of

1993, his case went to trial. Now good old Robert, the attorney, he had represented himself in many And although he formally had counsel, he knew the law. He was a seasoned attorney. He was confident, relaxed. So he took the stand in his own defense. It can work for some. It seemed like it was working for Robert. He knew the right things to say.

He had spoken to many juries. He sounded intelligent. He was well spoken. Prosecutor Lee Dobkin was worried. He thought that Robert didn't sound like a murderer if there's a way that they sound. But the jury doesn't just hear the word. coming out of a witness's mouth.

They can see their body language. It's important to watch for clues. And Dobkin pressed Robert again and again, trying to get him to admit that Donna was a threat to him, a threat to his livelihood, a threat to his future, and maybe even a threat to his life, if she exposed what she knew. Donna was the one that was going to bring everything to the ground,

and she wouldn't go along with his plan. She wasn't going to lie for him. While Robert started to get flustered, he couldn't deny these things. these things, he didn't even try. Dobkin knew this was his opening, a crack in Robert's calm, poised demeanor. He played to those emotions and he pressed him about not having any remorse for heartlessly killing a single mother of three.

Someone who helped others in her community, worked long hours to make ends meet, someone that could remind us all of our own mothers or sisters. Dobkin was hoping there were still some parts of a human left inside the shell of a man sitting there now shaking on the stand. And although he denied having killed Donna, he turned to the judge and he requested a break. He said, I need to go to the restroom. And the jury got a glimpse of this broken person,

a person that they determined during deliberations, was guilty. Finally, Robert Burke was sentenced to life in prison plus 99 years to run consecutively to his life sentence. He wouldn't be getting out of prison until he was brought out in a casket. And that was enough for Donna's family. Joan said that the family understood it wasn't going to bring Donna back.

But it would allow Donna's children, Todd, young Donna and Jessica, to be able to sleep at night because no one was coming for revenge. They could finally rest. Lieutenant Whitty wanted to be known that Donna didn't do anything wrong. She stood up for herself in the face of a bully. She was brave in the face of fear, and she paid the ultimate price. Her sister Joan does her best to keep her sister's memory alive for her children. She lost not only a sister, but a best friend.

These are words from a poem that Joan wrote about Donna that she titled, Best Friend. In part, it says, quote, I've asked and tried and sat and cried. I've even prayed and said why. But then again, who am I? I am a girl that had a best friend, a relationship that would never end.

But then one night, an enemy came in and took away my friend in sin. I've been robbed and I've been cheated, but most of all, she was mistreated. If you've never suffered this much pain, then how can I begin to explain? Nothing was too much to ask. Even if it was a task, she was like a twin to me, closer than anyone could be. One night her kids were awakened by a horrible scream, only to find out it wasn't a dream.

We sit and cry and still say why. It's hard to say she was taken away. If we only had more time to spend, we were all together till the end. We all know she had something to hide, but what it was she kept inside, I know in my heart she's at peace. If only I had the chance to kiss her, for this friend I lost was my sister. Wow.

I could barely get through that reading it and then having to relay it. Of course, Robert Burke tried to appeal many times. It failed. They were dismissed time and time again, and he tried everything. He was still trying again and again, but it wasn't successful.

Thank goodness. So he is still in prison. Thank you for giving me time to talk about Donna's. case and I'll see you in my next video. Bye.