227. Silenced Witness: Donna Willard

Donna Willard, a single mother of three, lived in a tight-knit community of South Philly, doing her best to raise her three children. Her oldest was Todd, 12, with his baby sisters, 10-year-old Donna and 7-year-old Jessica, following. They were the light of her life, and she worked hard as a hairdresser to give them a good life. Donna was petite, weighing just over 80 pounds at 4’10, but she was big in her principles. She believed in working hard and doing the right thing. She was energetic and outgoing; love was the only thing missing in her life. In 1988, that would change for Donna when a man named Tommy Tyrrell, a pipefitter by trade, stepped into her hair salon for a haircut and ended up leaving with much more: her heart. After dating for a bit, Tommy popped the question, and the two were engaged. Life was perfect for Donna and Tommy, with a bright future ahead of them, but neither would know that was all about to change.
Join Jen and Cam on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Silenced Witness: Donna Willard.’

Listener Discretion by the oh-so-talented @octoberpodVHS

All Music by our EP Nico @theinkypawprint (formally known as @wetalkofdreams)

Sources:
https://chaddsfordlive.com/2014/11/25/court-upholds-death-sentence-in-willard-murder/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gettysburg-times-donna-willard/355976/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/30388069/
https://casetext.com/case/burke-v-us-14
https://www.newspapers.com/article/standard-speaker-donna-willard/355958/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7830400/http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/99d0956p.pdf
https://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-newsroom/homicide-bureau-attorney-anna-sigga-nicolazzi-takes-viewers-inside-the-fight-for-justice-in-investigation-discoverys-new-series-true-conviction/
https://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/14d0588p.pdf