Epilogue
A guilty plea is not allowed when the charge is murder in the first degree. Yussef Khoury and Kimberly Dana were tried as they requested— without a jury, before a judge, in the Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Los Angeles. They offered only a perfunctory defense and pleaded for mercy.
Khoury claimed that he had never wanted to murder his wife but had been bewitched by Kim, who was so beguilingly beautiful that he had loved her to the point of insanity. She claimed that he had been planning for months to kill his wife because the threat of divorce would have been financially disastrous for him and that she had helped him commit the crime only because she was deeply in love with him. Both claimed they had never intended to kill Heck but had felt compelled to do it, because he was there and was a witness. Similarly they had never dreamed of harming Sergio Flores.
The judge found both guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced them to imprisonment for twenty-five years to life on each of the three counts. Under California law, they will be eligible for their first parole hearing in the year 2001. Considering the circumstances of the crimes, they are likely to be “flopped,” as convict terminology is, and to remain in prison at least until 2019.
Cathy Murphy/Puss Dogood and her two friends were released from jail ten days after state police returned them from Nevada. Jenny Schmidt—Kid —disappeared and is believed to have gone back to Wisconsin, her original home. Bum Rapp is in prison again, serving a long sentence for wounding the attendant while robbing a gas station. Puss Dogood remained free for eighteen weeks after she was released and was then arrested while burglarizing a home in Santa Monica. She is back in Fontera, serving what will likely be for her a life term.
In the women’s prison, Puss is shunned by the other Manson girls who are still there. They want no identification with her. She could care less. She believes she is just about the only one of Charlie’s followers who remains wholly loyal and will be freed by him when he chooses the time. She is confident and patient.
Puss Dogood and Kim Dana have become close friends. Kim has made a difficult, painful adjustment to prison life. When Puss arrived, the staff psychologist asked her if she didn’t know Kimberly Dana. Puss said she did, and the psychologist asked her if she would be willing to be housed with Kim, to see if she could help her. After all, the psychologist said, you’ve had a lot of experience with confinement. Puss—smiling inwardly at the irony —agreed to try to help Kim, so they are housed together, and Puss has been able to help Kim cope. Kim still weeps often, but Puss’s sympathy has helped her.
Puss works on the groundskeeping crew, mowing grass, working in flower beds, trimming shrubbery. Kim works on the interior maintenance crew, cleaning, sweeping, mopping, and so on, and plays first base on the prison softball team.
Yussef Khoury sorts laundry at Folsom Prison. He remains listless and spends much of his time just lying on his cot staring at the ceiling. He has never met Charles Manson, though he is aware that Manson is in the same prison. Manson is kept in a special unit for difficult cases, where Khoury can hope he will never go.
He is aware that his children have sold Khoury’s to a department-store chain, which has already radically changed the nature of the store.
Melissa Mead and Patricia Finch—Boobs and Squatty—have opened a boutique, with assistance from their Connecticut families, where they sell herbs and spices, health foods and juices, and such items as handwoven sweaters and skirts and handmade shoes. Openly lovers, they also stock and distribute pamphlets and booklets on the gay and lesbian lifestyle and on their rights.
The film Kim was to have starred in, about the Playboy playmate who was disabled in an accident, is being produced, starring Willa Wood.
Having served the police apprenticeship required by the federal program that made him a detective, Tim Mulhaney could have opted out and returned to school to study law, his first career choice. He chose to stay with the Department and study law at night.
Asked if he would ever retire, Columbo frowned and asked why a man would ever give up the work he loved.
Columbo: The Helter Skelter Murders Page 23