Unholy Sacrifice

by Robert Scott

  By August 28, the story of the mystery man was mutating once again. This time it placed him in Selina’s car and had that car being driven by him out to the Delta. Television station KRON reported that divers in the Delta were searching for Selina’s car there. This story got a certain amount of credence when it was learned that a large object, the shape and size of a car, was found to be in the Mokelumne River. The object was scanned by a side-scanning sonar system operated by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO).

  Marin County sheriff’s sergeant Pittman told reporters, “We did locate one object in the water, and its shape and size is consistent with the shape of an automobile. Although it is consistent with a vehicle, it may be that we’ll get out there and it won’t be a vehicle or its not the vehicle we’re looking for. The location is a known place where people often dispose of property.”

  The mystery man episodes continued, but the location of Selina Bishop’s car was about to be solved far away from the Delta.

  Greg McClish was a traffic control officer for the Petaluma Police Department (PPD). He had regular beats within the city and he would chalk tires on cars parked on certain streets. If a vehicle was left there longer than posted, he would fill out a ticket and place it on the vehicle’s window.

  On August 24, 2000, he was training a part-time officer as they moved through the downtown area of Petaluma. They came upon a blue Honda Accord with the license plate 4CQD822. The vehicles in that area hadn’t been checked for two weeks since Petaluma had a budget crisis, and McClish had been doing all of the parking violation work by himself. He placed a parking ticket on the Honda when it hadn’t been moved by his second trip around the area.

  McClish came back to the same street on August 31, and the blue Honda was still parked at the same spot and collecting dust. McClish, by instinct, felt something was wrong about the car. Just to be on the safe side, he ran the plates and discovered that the vehicle was wanted in a Marin County homicide.

  McClish called in his report to a dispatcher and waited. Fifteen minutes later, two MCSO officers arrived. Crime scene tape was placed around the vehicle and, at last, one mystery was solved. The mystery man at the bank was as elusive as ever, though.

  Mysteries over vehicles did not end there, however. The next one concerned Keri Furman’s little silver Eclipse sports car. In her September Playboy bio, she answered the question “When I feel the need for speed, I’m . . .”

  Keri’s answer was “Blasting tunes in my Silver Bullet (2000 Eclipse), flying to San Fran.”

  Two sources close to Selina called the police and said that they had seen a silver Eclipse in front of Selina Bishop’s residence in Woodacre on July 16, 2000. Since Jordan didn’t own an Eclipse, only Keri did, it was wondered what she might have been doing there, especially since she said she wasn’t anywhere near the area in July.

  One of the sources told a reporter, “I noticed it. It stood out. You don’t see them out here. Everybody has either a beater (beat-up car) or a truck.”

  In this case, the mystery of the silver Eclipse was never solved. It may have been just a case of mistaken identity.

  Playboy magazine, which was already embarrassed by Keri Furman’s (aka Kerrisa Fare) connections to Taylor Helzer, was not amused by this new revelation. Playboy’s spokesman Bill Farley told reporters, “It’s been awkward having the magazine’s name in connection with that grisly case.”

  Then he added that Kerrisa Fare was astounded by the fact that Taylor Helzer was connected to the murders. He said, “She felt he was a mild-mannered person that hasn’t harmed anyone.”

  Then Farley went on to say that Taylor had approached Playboy to write his story. His asking price was $400,000. In fact, headlines in the Contra Costa Times declared, HELZER TRIED TO SELL STORY TO PLAYBOY FOR $400,000. This occurred from the county jail. The article went on to say that Taylor’s lawyer said that he wanted the money to go to charity or a Selina Bishop fund. Carma Helzer chimed in and said, “The money could go to a charity, a fund for Bishop’s memory or to fix up the county jail.”

  One of the biggest breaks in the case had nothing to do with vehicles, Playboy magazine or mystery men. CPD detective Darrell Graham conducted a routine interview with Debra McClanahan to determine what she knew about the Helzer brothers and Dawn Godman.

  Detective Graham provided a later statement that McClanahan didn’t provide any dramatic information initially. But later that same day, after he’d gone home, the Concord Police Department informed him that McClanahan had phoned back, wanting to talk with him. Graham phoned her about 8:20 P.M. and she told him that she’d just found a black metal cigarette case, with gold trim, inside her apartment and that it contained four movie tickets and a Denny’s receipt, both dated July 30, 2000. She said that the cigarette case had originally been her ex-husband’s, but then she had given it to Taylor Helzer.

  Inside the cigarette case she found four theater tickets from the Brendan Theater in Pittsburg for the 8:10 P.M. showing of X Men. There was also a cash register receipt from Denny’s on Sommersville Road in Antioch, from the same date, and stamped 11:37 P.M., for four people. The bill had totaled $33. According to Mc-Clanhan, she had gone to the Brendan Theater that same evening herself with her eleven-year-old daughter, but they had gone to the 8:10 P.M. showing of a movie. She denied knowing who the four movie tickets or the Denny’s receipt belonged too.

  Having all that information in mind, Detective Heidi Stephenson interviewed Debra McClanahan on August 22, and Debra began to open up a lot more. What she said was noted in a report:

  Debra McClanahan said that she had known Dawn Godman for three years, and had met her at a Mormon dance. She was introduced to Taylor Helzer in November or December 1999. She had sex with him once, and it had been a one night stand. She said that she’d never known Taylor or Justin or Dawn to be violent. She did admit that any one of them might show up at her apartment at any time, day or night.

  McClanahan denied that Dawn had a cell phone that had been rented in her name. She admitted that she had gone to raves with both Taylor and Dawn in Berkeley and had taken ecstasy. She also admitted that she knew Taylor was collecting disability money and that he had been a stockbroker.

  She said that Taylor had phoned her on July 30 and that Dawn Godman had dropped by on the same day. McClanahan claimed to have asked Dawn if she could borrow a hundred dollars, and Dawn had left her a $100 bill. McClanahan did not reveal why she wanted the hundred dollars.

  McClanahan told Detective Stephenson that on July 31, 2000, at about 11:30 P.M., Taylor had dropped by her apartment to say hi. He then said he wouldn’t see her for a week, since he was going out of town. McClanahan said that she’d last seen Dawn Godman on August 6 at about 2:30 P.M.

  Earlier that week, Justin and Dawn had called her on August 2 around 11:30 P.M., and actually came by her apartment on Thursday and stayed from around 2:30 A.M. until around 4:30 A.M. They played Canasta and no one seemed upset or agitated.

  Debra claimed that Taylor, Justin and Dawn were supposed to meet her at the Brendan Theater to watch the movie X Men on July 30. She said she had arrived there with her daughter about 7:20 P.M. and couldn’t find the others anywhere, so she and her daughter had watched the 8:10 P.M. showing. She said that she didn’t know about any plans that Taylor had.

  McClanahan did admit she had heard the phrase In To Me See which equaled Intimacy. As far as the cigarette case went, she said she had given it to Taylor and first discovered the receipts inside sometime after July 30. McClanahan denied ever having heard of the Stinemans or Selina Bishop. She did say she was with Dawn Godman when Dawn brought two pairs of handcuffs around mid-June, as well as a dildo. Asked what they were for, McClanahan said that she and Dawn enjoyed bondage in sexual encounters. She referred to the Not Too Naughty store as an adult toy store.

  A lot of things didn’t add up about many of Debra McClanahan’s statements. Perhaps even she knew that she was now under suspicion by authorities. She
called the Concord Police Department and asked if she could bring in a .357 revolver. She did so and Detective Graham took a look at it.

  On August 24, Detectives Stephenson and Chiabotti reinterviewed McClanahan, and she began changing many of her previous statements. In this statement Debra said that Taylor had instructed her to take her daughter to the Brendan Theaters without him, but to buy four adult tickets to the movie. Then she was to go somewhere after the movie and purchase four dinners and keep the receipts. Someone was supposed to give her money for doing all of this.

  Dawn Godman did show up at her apartment complex and met Debra at the pool area. Since McClanahan couldn’t leave the pool area, because her young daughter was in the pool, she gave Godman a key, and Dawn left a hundred dollar bill in her apartment.

  Debra told the detectives of her mission to the theater and Denny’s. Then, however, she said that she put the receipts on a short wall in her apartment and, at some time uncertain to her, the tickets and receipt disappeared. “At various times between July thirtieth and August sixth, Taylor, Justin and Dawn all visited her apartment. At some time, Debra was aware that her ex-husband’s metal cigarette case was on the short wall in the apartment. Debra knew she was doing a favor for the defendants and knew that they were asking her to cover something up for them, but she didn’t know what specific behavior or crime that she was helping them conceal but thought it might be drug-related.”

  As to why she was starting to cooperate now, Debra said later, “I didn’t know the extent of everything at the time. I only knew of two murders then (Jenny Villarin and James Gamble). I was thinking I could give this to the police department.”

  Detective David Chilimidos later got a tip about a safe stored at Debra McClanahan’s apartment on Ryan Road in Concord. (Just who the informant was has never been revealed.)

  With a consent to search, Detective Elo searched McClanahan’s apartment on Ryan Road and looked in the bedroom closet. A safe was discovered in the bedroom closet and a wheelchair in her daughter’s room.

  In the safe were a number of important documents and items that were listed:

  1. Checkbook of Ivan Stineman and Annette Stineman for a Morgan Stanley account

  2. Washington Mutual account for Ivan and Annette Stineman

  3. Checkbook for Annette Stineman on a liquid-assets fund

  4. Numerous credit cards: a. Chevron card for I. L. Stineman

  b. Chevron card for I. L. Stineman

  c. Chevron Visa card for Annette Stineman

  d. Chevron card for Annette Stineman

  e. A Visa card for Ivan Stineman

  Social Security cards belonging to Ivan and Annette Stineman were also found, along with a Social Security card and driver’s license owned by Selina Bishop.

  There was a paper with Selina’s phone number on it, along with Cal Fed numbers, and a scrap of paper that read: “Sky and J meet me at 2 Bird Cafe at 5 AM. To go to Bolinas. But I sick. I stay home.”

  Along with these paper and plastic items was found a magazine for a 9mm Beretta pistol, razor blades, two diamond rings, two magazines for a .22-caliber pistol, a semiautomatic pistol with the serial numbers scratched off and a three-ring binder.

  There were more esoteric items in the safe as well—crystals and green stones, a Digi Tech scale that weighed things in grams, hypodermic needles, a glass smoking pipe, handcuffs, a box of Rohypnol, a marijuana roach, Zig-Zag papers, a typed-out script and cigar box with Playboy Bunny logo.

  The investigators also received a list of telephone calls from the Saddlewood residence to McClanahan’s place. On August 3, 2000, there had been a one-minute call at 3:40 A.M., followed by a one-minute call at 4:30 A.M. There was a one-minute call at 5:21 A.M. and a two-minute call at 5:30 A.M.

  The next day there was a search warrant executed for Gerry and Carma’s residence in Pacheco.

  On August 25, Detective Warnock brought Debra McClanahan into the district attorney’s office in Martinez and then on to the grand jury. At last they had someone who knew some aspects of the crime spree and was willing to talk. Up to this point, there had been lots of evidence, but it was all mute evidence.

  Detective Elo discovered in Justin’s AT&T vehicle a bottle of Insta-Clean. This could be used to mask a drug test by putting a drop of it into the urine.

  Detective Warnock talked to Olivia Embry, Richard Hundly and Kelly Lord. He also talked to Jessyka Chompff about Taylor and interviewed the carpet cleaners who had been to Saddlewood. Detective Warnock spoke with Dawn Kirkland about the Helzer brothers’ behavior at the Third Ward in Walnut Creek, and he analyzed the poster that held the Twelve Principles of Magic. This poster had been in the possession of Brandon Davids.

  A gold ring from Selina’s Honda was given by Detective Alex Taflia to Detective Mingas, and it was noted that an inscription on the ring stated, “ALS to ILS.” The Stinemans’ daughters confirmed that this wedding ring had been given by Annette to Ivan.

  A roll of plastic film from the Saddlewood residence was also looked at. There was about fifty feet missing from the roll. It was later surmised that this amount of plastic had been used in the bathroom while the bodies were being dismembered. The plastic had obviously done a good job, as had Justin Helzer. It would be learned later that he’d gone over every square inch of the bathroom with a toothbrush. Not one drop of blood of any of the victims was ever found in the bathroom, despite all the bloodletting there.

  Sergeant Andrew Gartner studied the voice mail greeting from Selina to Taylor. On one part, she declared, “Hi, sweetie. I’ll call you in twenty or thirty minutes.” In the background could be heard the voice of Jenny Villarin, sweet-talking to a cat.

  Selina’s diary was discovered and scrutinized for evidence. In late July, she had written that she didn’t want to be part of Jordan’s “big plans.”

  On August 1, 2000, she wrote, “I wish we could be together. Why is it so difficult?”

  Then she wrote about wanting to go to Great America. Taylor cryptically answered, “I’ve got something better planned.”

  A pager message from Dawn to Taylor was found. The message said, “Hi, you’ve reached Taylor.” Another voice message from Taylor stated, “You’ve reached Jordan Taylor for In To Me See.”

  Based on having heard Dawn Godman’s voice in person, detectives thought the second message was from her to Taylor.

  Clint Carter spoke with detectives at length about two male subjects he had seen walking toward the Stinemans’ residence on Sunday, July 30. He said that the dark-haired male had stopped outside the door and looked hesitant. The blond-haired, or lighter-haired man, came up from behind, put his hand on the dark-haired male’s shoulder and gave a gesture with his head toward the house, as if to say, “Come on.” This surprised the investigators. Taylor had been seen as the decisive one, not Justin.

  Detective Graham went to Washington Mutual in Petaluma to check out that angle of the case, and what he found at last put to rest the theory about a fourth suspect, the mystery man at the ATM machine. Graham spoke with the manager there to see what might be found on their video camera. She hoped to find out which teller had done any business concerning checks to Selina Bishop, and what day and time that might have occurred.

  A time on the teller’s record was processed for Monday, July 31, 2000, at 5:28 P.M., but when they looked at the videotape, the person at the ATM at 5:28 P.M. was no one that they knew who was connected with the Helzers and Godman. It was a photo of the mystery man. It had made them wonder if there were more people connected to the conspiracy than they knew about.

  Finally it was discovered that the video camera’s time was off by seven minutes. When they looked again, it was found that at 5:21 P.M. a large blonde in a wheelchair, wearing a cowboy hat and lime green pantsuit, was videotaped. It was, of course, Dawn Godman in disguise and the mystery man episode was finally laid to rest.

  Joyce Sheehan, the branch manager, was asked to look at checks concerning Selina Bishop. She dis
covered that no transaction had been over $100 in all of July until a $10,000 check had been deposited. But the signature on the check was wrong. Instead of spelling Stineman correctly, the person wrote Stinman, without an e after the first n.

  Detectives also had Nancy Hall look at various checks. She noted that a $33,000 check, dated August 1, 2000, to Selina Bishop had her father’s handwriting. A check for $67,000 to Selina Bishop had her mother’s signature. These were true and accurate signatures.

  Christina Werk had a degree in forensic science and was a field evidence tech. She started doing fingerprint analysis of some items. She used powder method for lifting prints from vehicles and chemical method for paper items.

  Micromatic powder was used on the Stinemans’ Chevy Lumina and on Selina’s Honda. It was dusted on with a fiberglass brush. She then used a fingerprint-lifting tape. One side of the tape was sticky, the other side not.

  Eight “possibles” came from the Chevy van, she said later. These came from such diverse areas as the driver’s side door, the rear driver’s side, the passenger door and hood.

  Fingerprint technician Sergio Solis became the custodian of record. He already had the fingerprints and palm prints of Taylor, Justin and Dawn.

  Solis noted down:

  80.1—Fingerprint driver’s side door—Justin Helzer.

  80.4—Fingerprint from Dawn Godman.

  80.5—Palm of Taylor.

  So all three members of the Children of Thunder had touched the Stinemans’ van at one time or another.

  Kenneth Fujii had been a criminalist for eighteen years by 2000. He was an expert in firearms and tool marks. He noted that the bullets recovered from the crime scene on Redwood Drive in Woodacre all came from the same gun, which he decided was probably a Beretta or Taurus semiautomatic. The Taurus in essence was a copy of a Beretta.