From Ichabod Editor to Author

For Ernie Webb, everything seems to circle back to Washburn University. Once the editor of this very magazine, Webb, ba ’98, mls ’17, now works as Washburn’s director of strategic enrollment management marketing and communications. With 30-years of award-winning writing experience, he added “author” to his credentials in 2024 with his debut, “Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, Faith and Forgiveness in a Small Kansas Town.” More than a true crime account, the book reflects a decade of research and reflection – all rooted in a Washburn education. 

A Small-Town Story That Stuck

Webb first heard the name Brenda Keller as a high school student in Burlingame, Kansas. In 1991, the murder of the pastor’s 12-year-old daughter in nearby Dover shook the community – and it stayed with him. Though he never knew Keller, two of his closest friends did, and decades later, he couldn’t shake the sense that it needed a voice. 

“I’m not a religious person, but I believe in God, and I believe a higher power was imploring me to write about her,” Webb said.

Webb’s research spanned nearly 10 years and formed the backbone of his graduate studies at Washburn. What began on microfilm at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library expanded into sheriff’s department case files and meticulous interviews with law enforcement, attorneys, small-town locals and, eventually, people who knew the man convicted of the murder.

Webb didn’t feel like he could tell the story without telling the perpetrator’s side of the story, but he wrestled with the ethical question of how to share his background.

“I didn’t want to betray Brenda Keller,” Webb said. “But her mother told me that Brenda would want to help him. That was it for me.”

His inquiry paired rigor with empathy, turning true crime into a study of what follows the headlines – faith, resilience and forgiveness. “Goodbye, Butterfly” quickly resonated with readers, becoming a hot new release and an Amazon bestseller. The first print run sold out the morning it launched, and a second printing is now available.

Washburn’s Imprint

The building blocks for Webb’s success were shaped on the Washburn campus. He started as a mass media student and then returned years later for a master of liberal studies – a unique, retired interdisciplinary degree deeply focused on research and writing. 

“Coming to Washburn was the best thing that ever happened to me, besides my wife,” Webb said. “I went from being very shy to being able to be out in front of people as the editor in chief of the Washburn Review. I just really kind of blossomed when I came here.”

Webb credits his professors for encouraging him and helping him grow.

“I wouldn’t have been able to write a book without Washburn,” Webb said. “I developed my skills here. I got to write as much as I wanted, and the professors pushed me to be serious about research.”

Tom Prasch, professor and chair of the history department and one of Webb’s graduate professors, saw that growth firsthand. The Keller murder was the subject of Webb’s capstone project – which, in turn, served as preliminary work for his book.

“He was fascinated with this case from very early on, but what I think is interesting about the book is the way he opens it up,” Prasch said. “At the heart of it, of course, is true crime, but one of the key themes is how a deeply faith-imbued family and community can come to terms with and get past this tragic event. In a way, the key point of the book is not the murder – it’s that the father of the girl forgave the killer – and I think that’s an interesting take on things.”

Pauses, Loss and Returning
to the Page 

The road to publication was rarely smooth – punctuated by cross-state moves, the demands of a growing career and above all, his father’s illness and death. There were years when he set the manuscript aside completely. But it was his father’s last request that reignited the project. 

“One of the last things he said to me was, he said, ‘Son, I want you to finish your book,’” Webb said.

After his father’s death, returning to the story offered both healing and motivation. His wife, Shana Curtis Webb, stepped in as a tough but trusted editor as he refined and finished the manuscript.

For Webb, writing this book was one of the most rewarding experiences he’s ever had. But he isn’t angling to churn out the next true-crime novel. In fact, he’s already thinking about his next book – one centered on his father’s journey of hardship and redemption.

“I didn’t write to make money,” Webb said. “I would much rather write three or four really good books the rest of my life than write 40 or 50.”

To learn more about Webb and his work, visit erniewebbiii.com.