And Then She Killed Him
Page 28
Miriam put a Kleenex to her face and started crying. Soon she was escorted from the courtroom by deputies. She was on her way to prison. Even though sentencing would come later, Judge Robison had no discretion in the matter. A guilty count on first-degree murder in Colorado carried a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Outside the courtroom, Rich Tuttle praised the MCSO investigators, especially lead investigator Jim Hebenstreit. As far as Miriam Helmick went, Tuttle told a reporter, “I don’t think she’s mentally ill. I don’t know what her issues are.”
Wendy Helmick agreed, stating, “The things she says are beyond my understanding.”
Even a few jurors spoke with reporters. They let it be known that within ten minutes of starting deliberation, they all agreed that Miriam Helmick was guilty of false reporting, and that concerned the greeting card under the doormat.
Soon one guilty charge after another came in—all except for a forgery count on a $5,000 check. As to why these jurors thought Miriam was guilty, four of them announced at the same time, “Liar!” One man named Tom elaborated and called Miriam a “psychopathic liar.”
A man named Butch declared, “She’s very scheming. Very manipulative. Her stories were not consistent.”
In fact, the jurors, who talked to reporters, agreed that Miriam had actually hurt her cause by testifying in her own defense. A woman named Gale said that she was put off by Miriam’s demeanor on the stand. Others called her “an actress.”
Jurors also agreed that FBI agent Robert Morton had made a good case when he testified that Miriam had staged the crime scene. In fact, testimony was so compelling toward her being guilty on the murder and attempted murder counts, the jurors had spent most of their time deliberating about the forged checks.
CHAPTER 48
END OF THE LINE
Miriam was back in court on December 9, 2009, to learn what her sentencing would be. Up until her conviction, she’d always worn street clothes while sitting at the defense table. Now, clad in a jail jumpsuit, she also wore shackles as she sat by her attorney.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Tammy Eret asked Judge Valerie Robison for the maximum sentencing on all counts. Eret said that Miriam had “committed specific crimes on different days.” Miriam already faced a mandatory life sentencing without parole on the first-degree murder count. Eret wanted the other charges also to carry sentencing to address the fact that Miriam had committed various crimes in her first attempt to kill Alan, and then in her successful attempt to murder him.
Miriam was given a chance to speak before sentencing. She chose not to, and instead stared at the wall with no expression on her face. Kristy Helmick-Burd, however, did give a statement, telling the judge that her father and all the girls trusted Miriam and tried to embrace her as Alan’s second wife. And in return she had betrayed them all.
In the end, Judge Robison added 108 years for the other charges onto Miriam’s life sentence. Robison said, “Whether it’s symbolic or not, I think it’s necessary.”
After the verdict, defense attorney Steve Colvin told a reporter that he was disappointed in the sentencing. Then he added, “I do hope this brings some comfort to the family, but obviously Ms. Helmick has a constitutional right to an appeal.”
After the trial, MCSO investigator Jim Hebenstreit was in Denver at the quarterly meeting of the Colorado Homicide Investigators Association. To Hebenstreit’s surprise, he was awarded a plaque acknowledging him as Colorado’s “Homicide Investigator of the Year” for his work on the Helmick case.
Complex Crimes Investigative Unit sergeant Henry Stoffel said of Hebenstreit, “I’m proud of Jim for getting this award, but his dedication to all cases and the pursuit of justice is his mission every time.”
In a sense, Portia Vigil had the last word about Miriam Helmick. Portia told a reporter, “We are happy that she can’t hurt anyone else, and this helps us to start healing. We have spent so much time and energy on Miriam, and this is the end. We will spend no more.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank the Mesa County Sheriff ’s Office and Mesa County District Attorney’s Office for their help on this book. I’d also like to thank my editor, Michaela Hamilton.
COMING SOON FROM BERKLEY BOOKS JANUARY 2013
The story of one of the most bizarre mass murders ever
recorded—and the girl who escaped with her life.
From national bestselling author
ROBERT SCOTT
with Larry Maynard
The GIRL in the LEAVES
In the fall of 2010, in the all-American town of Apple Valley, Ohio, four people disappeared without a trace: Stephanie Sprang; her friend Tina Maynard; and Tina’s two children, 13-year-old Sarah and 11-year-old Kody, Investigators began scouring the area, yet despite
On the fourth day of the search, evidence trickled in about neighborhood “weirdo” Matthew Hoffman. A police SWAT team raided his home and found an extremely disturbing sight: every square inch of the place was filled with leaves, and a terrified Sarah Maynard was bound up in the middle of it like some sort of perverted autumn tableau. But there was no trace of the others...
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Dance instructor Miriam Helmick moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, to manage a dance studio. She arrived with $600, a dog, and two suitcases. (Mug shot)
Miriam became a popular dance instructor in the community and eventually opened up her own studio, Dance Junction. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
One of Miriam’s students was local businessman Alan Helmick. Alan had recently been widowed. (Courtesy of Penny Lyons)
Alan is depicted here with his daughter Portia, when she took over Alan’s mortgage company. (Courtesy of Delta County Independent)
In high school, Alan was popular, very athletic, and a good musician. Even in later years as a businessman, he was spoken of as a “nice guy.” (Yearbook photo)
Alan and Miriam moved into a new house that Alan had built in Whitewater, Colorado, essentially to please Miriam. She wanted a place where they could keep horses, which she loved to ride. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Besides paying the bills for Dance Junction, Alan also bought Miriam a horse-training business beneath the towering cliffs of Colorado National Monument. (Author photo)
During a visit to Alan’s title company, Miriam wanted to put these sandals on. But before she did so, she complained of bad stomach problems and rushed off to the ladies’ room in the building. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
While sitting in the car and waiting for Miriam to return, Alan smelled smoke coming from the back of the car. He found that the rubber lining near the gas cap was burning. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
On the morning of June 10, 2008, Miriam ran errands all over town. This map was later constructed by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office to show her route. (Courtesy of Mesa County Sheriff’s Office)
Miriam returned home around 11:30 AM. In her car trunk, she had several items she had purchased, including a large bag of carrots for her horses. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Miriam told a 911 operator that she found Alan lying on the floor and that he had blood on the back of his head. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Although Miriam said that she gave Alan CPR, she told the 911 operator that it was not working. His hands had already turned blue. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Alan’s wallet was discovered near his body. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Investigators looked at rece
ipts and papers in the Helmicks’ home to determine if Alan’s death had something to do with his businesses. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
There was a trash can tipped over near Alan’s desk as if someone had been going through the papers inside. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Alan had been shot in the back of the head. Investigators looked at this handgun in the house. But its caliber did not match that of the bullet recovered from his body. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
A spent shell casing was discovered on the floor. It seemed to come from a .25 caliber handgun—the same size as the bullet found in Alan’s body. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Investigators wondered why a robber wouldn’t take valuable items like this hunting rifle if Alan had been shot during a robbery. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Keys were found in the ignition of one of Alan’s vehicles in the driveway. Investigators wondered why a burglar would not steal this vehicle. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
A blood stain was found on this mattress, although Alan’s body was lying in the kitchen/work space area. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Miriam was tested for gunshot residue on the day that Alan’s body was discovered. None was found on her hands, body or clothing. (Courtesy of Mesa County Sheriff’s Office)
Miriam had left messages on Alan’s cell phone about her morning’s activities of June 10, 2008. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Miriam’s cell phone had numerous messages from Alan’s daughters. In the week before his death, they called Miriam and asked why he was not responding to messages they left for him. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Miriam and her friend Penny Lyons discovered a card under the Helmicks’ front doormat on June 26, 2008. Part of the card had this message written on it. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Another section of the card had this message. Alan’s name was misspelled. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Investigators were able to track down where the card had been sold. They also received a security video of Miriam buying that card at a store in Orchard Mesa. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
One of Miriam’s errands on the morning of June 10, 2008, had been to buy carrots for the horses. But she already had carrots in this bucket in the barn. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
This small Derringer-type weapon was most likely the gun used to kill Alan Helmick. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Miriam used this vehicle, which had belonged to Alan’s first wife, Sharon, to drive away from Grand Junction in July 2008. Then she disappeared off the radar. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
Miriam was caught on surveillance video at a pawn shop in Jacksonville, Florida. She pawned jewelry that had belonged to Sharon Helmick. In fact, Miriam was passing herself off as Sharon Helmick. (Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
On December 8, 2008, Miriam Helmick was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida for the murder of Alan Helmick. (Mug shot)
Assistant D.A. Rich Tuttle questioned numerous witnesses in the case against Miriam Helmick. (Courtesy of Rich Tuttle)
Investigator Jim Hebenstreit collected many items connected to the murder of Alan Helmick and spoke with a long list of people who knew both Alan and Miriam. (Courtesy of Mesa County Sheriff’s Office)
Miriam did not fight extradition to Colorado, believing that she would be found innocent. Even her lawyer had high hopes that Miriam would be acquitted. (Mug shot)
Miriam’s trial for the murder of Alan Helmick took place at the Mesa County Courthouse in Grand Junction. (Author photo)
Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of
individuals connected to this story.
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