murder

FBI Offers $20K Reward in Hunt for Man Suspected of Killing His Girlfriend in 1981

Andrew Peter Dabbs is wanted on suspicion of killing his girlfriend, Robin Shea, and fleeing prosecution

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Forty years after the fatal shooting of a woman on Massachusetts Route 123, the man suspected of killing her has yet to be caught, and the FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information about where he is.

Robin Shea was shot in the chest by her boyfriend, Andrew Peter Dabbs, as they drove on the highway through Norton on Oct. 10, 1981, according to the FBI. While Shea's body was found by a driver, Dabbs was never caught.

"We didn't really understand the hold that he had on her," Shea's sister, Joyce Carter, said in an interview with the FBI. "And the fact he was threatening her."

The murder has haunted Carter for the last 40 years.

"It was really devastating for my family," she said. "My family pretty much fell apart after that."

A man accused of killing his girlfriend in 1981 in Norton, Massachusetts, is being sought.

Dabbs was indicted on a murder charge in Massachusetts and state and federal warrants were issued for his arrest -- he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, the FBI said.

The auto mechanic would be 78 now.

Right after the crime, Dabbs headed to Derry, New Hampshire, where he spent the night with his ex-wife and children, then took off the next morning, according to investigators.

He was spotted in New York two weeks later.

"We kind of have this blank timeline from two weeks after the incident to present," said Special Agent Sarah De Lair of the FBI. "And we're trying to find out where he's been this whole time."

In addition to Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, Dabbs has ties to Colorado, Florida, Indiana and Pennsylvania, according to the FBI.

"Someone out there knows where Andrew Dabbs is, and we're asking you to contact us. We are in the final stages of this investigation and we're doing everything we can bring him to justice and provide some much-needed closure to Robin's family," said Joseph Bonavolonta, the top FBI agent in Boston, in a statement.

"Maybe he's dead, and if he is, I would love to know that, I would love to know more of that detail," Carter said in the statement. "And if he isn't dead, if he's alive, he needs to pay for what he did."

The FBI released a wanted poster with a rendition of what Dabbs may look like now. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Handout
An FBI wanted poster for Andrew Dabbs, suspected of killing Robin Shea in Norton, Massachusetts, in 1981.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or to visit tips.fbi.gov. The reward will go to information that leads to Dabbs' location, arrest and prosecution, the FBI said.

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