Mike Webb was well known in the Seattle talk-radio scene after moving here from San Francisco in the mid 80’s. He was liberal, openly gay, anti-religious, and a recovering drug addict. His style was combative, both on and off the air. He’d been in recovery for at least 15 years and was passionate about helping other addicts. He would often open his house to them. (No good deed goes unpunished)
He got his start in the Bay Area, broadcasting from the rooftop of his radio station during the riots that broke out in 1978 after the assassinations of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and gay city supervisor Harvey Milk. "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." He stood by his beliefs and wasn’t afraid to share them. Not everyone was a fan. He’d received many death threats over the years and had a list of enemies a mile long. He even got into it with Martina Navratilova over whether or not vegetarianism was more important than “coming out.” He also carried a gun for protection. By all accounts, it seems nothing was going his way prior to his murder. In February of 2007, he was convicted on felony fraud charges for filing a false insurance claim, which resulted in him being fired from KIRO 710 AM at 1820 Eastlake Ave.
 |
| KIRO 710 Radio |
He'd been there ten years. His long-time partner died of AIDS in the 90s, and his dog had died a few months prior to his murder. He’d received inpatient psychiatric treatment after his conviction to treat his bipolar disorder. According to friends, he was terribly depressed and felt his career was over. He started an on-line show from his basement. His firing from KIRO wasn’t his first. In 1996 he was fired from 106.9 FM for failing to cut down on “gay-themed” shows. (What city are we in?) He filed a lawsuit accusing the station of firing him because he was gay. At the time, homosexuality was not covered by Washington’s anti-discrimination law, although it was under city codes. He lost. (Their music sucks anyway) On May 14, 2007, Mike’s sister called Seattle police after she received odd text messages from his phone. They indicated he was leaving town and to not look for him. She, along with other friends and family knew he wouldn’t do something like that. She filed a missing person’s report and the police knocked on his door. They waited until mid-June before bringing a cadaver dog to his house at 2505 3rd Ave. W. They found nothing.
 |
| The house after Mike's body was found |
By the end of June, Mike’s landlord assumed he’d abandoned the house and went to clear it out. Everything Mike owned was still there, except his three computers. The house had been ransacked. The landlord then sent a worker over to store the belongings and repair the door and window that had been damaged by the police break-in. The worker discovered Mike’s decomposed body neatly wrapped in a blue tarp and placed behind some boxes and a bookcase. Why the cadaver dog hadn't found the body is beyond me. He’d been stabbed to death. Neighbors had noticed a cast of "sketchy-looking people" coming and going from the house during the time Mike was missing. There'd been partying at the house and a syringe was found on the roof of the garage. On Wednesday, July 18, 2007 police arrested 28 year-old Scott White on suspicion of murder. He'd been running his mouth to other transients about murdering Mike.
 |
| White at sentencing |
White had been living at the house since November ’06 and had started a relationship with Webb. He was charged with second-degree murder the following Friday after admitting he’d beaten and stabbed Mike to death. Court documents say that White put an ax under his side of the bed, got up early April 14th and told Mike he was going out to have a cigarette. Instead, he began bludgeoning him. He later dragged his body out of the bedroom and hid it in a crawl space.He also admitted to trying to use Mike's credit cards and to pawning some of his belongings to Capitol Loans at 620 East Pine.
White had been living on the streets for years and had been a drug user since his early teens. Mike, who was 52, had offered his help to get Scott off drugs. Mike’s friend John McMullen said," Unfortunately, Mike’s kindness and his heart being in the right place may have cost him his life.” White only received 20 years in prison. Hardly an eye for an eye. RIP Mike.
 |
| 620 East Pine |
Here is the house today.
