And Then She Killed Him

by Robert Scott

  And at 8:56 A.M., a man named David left a message for Alan that was clearly related to the horses. David apparently didn’t know that Alan was already dead. “Alan, this is David. I need to talk to you about the hay and see if you want it or not. And where to stick it. Please give me a call.”

  Then at 9:29 A.M., June 11, there was a very short message: “Accounts payable department. Please give me a call.” The person did not identify himself, but the caller did leave a phone number. It was the last phone message Alan ever received.

  The initial articles about the murder on Siminoe Road in Whitewater were very sketchy as to details. The Grand Junction Free Press related that MCSO deputies responding to a robbery call found an adult’s dead body: Sheriff ’s spokeswoman Heather Benjamin said it was too early to say whether investigators had a homicide or suicide, instead labeling it a suspicious death investigation.

  Then the article noted: According to 911 dispatch radio traffic, someone at the home was attempting to resuscitate an injured subject as deputies were on route to the scene. The adult—authorities confirmed little about the individual—was dead when law enforcement and fire personnel arrived.

  Digging into the Mesa County Assessor’s Office records, the reporter discovered that the property in question was owned by Alan Helmick. The reporter also learned that Alan owned Creek Ranch Sporthorses LLC and several other businesses.

  By the next day, the Grand Junction Free Press knew about Alan Helmick’s other businesses and also about the Mesa County Coroner’s ruling as to Alan’s death. According to the Grand Junction Free Press, Mesa County Coroner’s Pathologist Dr. Robert Kurtzman said Helmick died of a gunshot wound to the head. The ruling was a homicide. The newspaper also reported that all thirteen investigators at MCSO were now looking into this murder.

  Not getting much more from MCSO spokesperson Heather Benjamin, a reporter for the newspaper went out to Whitewater and talked to the Helmicks’ neighbors. One neighbor said, “The whole thing is just bizarre. They (the Helmicks) pretty much kept to themselves.” Then this person related that Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agents and MCSO investigators had canvassed the neighborhood asking if anyone had seen any suspicious vehicles or people in the area during the previous week. Apparently, no one had.

  Looking into Alan Helmick’s business records, the reporter noted that he lived on Siminoe Road with his second wife, Miriam. Alan’s sixty-acre property was valued at around $500,000. Alan also owned the sports horse facility, a dance studio in Grand Junction, and had an interest in various subdivision housing and lots in the area. Alan had owned the Helmick Mortgage Company in Delta, Colorado, until giving ownership to his daughter, Portia Vigil, in the previous year.

  Grand Junction and Delta city planners confirmed Alan’s involvement in two recent subdivision business ventures. One was the Crista Lee subdivision in Orchard Mesa for twenty-one single-family lots on six acres. The other was a twenty-three-home subdivision in the city of Delta.

  Allan Laurel, a dance instructor at Dance Junction, which Alan owned, and which his wife, Miriam, managed, told the reporter, “We’re shocked! They’re good people.”

  And Melody Sebesta, of Grand Junction, who had known Alan since childhood, declared, “Within the community, he’s somebody everybody knew.”

  The reporter also phoned Portia Vigil’s home, and an unidentified person there told him, “The family has no comment at this time.”

  What really piqued the reporter’s interest was information he picked up in the city of Delta. He learned that a vehicle owned by Alan Helmick had suspiciously caught fire in April. Delta PD chief Robert Thomas said that the incident “was suspicious in nature.” Both Alan and Miriam Helmick had spoken with an investigator about it, and Thomas related, “There are no suspects.”

  Penny Lyons, Miriam’s friend from the Dance Junction days, had also learned about Alan’s murder. Penny said later, “Luda Miller called me one evening and asked if I remembered what Alan and Miriam’s address was. She had heard a report on the news that a gentleman had been killed in his home. And I said, ‘Of course, the address is right here.’ So I looked it up, and then she said, ‘I think that’s the same one.’ And when I checked online, that was their home.

  “The night that I found out about Alan’s murder, I tried all their phones, and no message, of course, could go through. But I called the police station that night because I was very concerned that Miriam might be alone and I was very worried about her. The detective told me that they couldn’t say anything. But I spoke with the police the next day and they let me know she was staying at Alan’s sister’s place. So that comforted me.”

  While local reporters were trying to find out as much as they could about the murder of Alan Helmick and about his businesses in general, there was a lot going on behind the scenes that they knew nothing about. MCSO investigators were fanning out all across the region, digging up information about the Helmicks and why someone would want to murder Alan.

  Jim Hebenstreit was the lead investigator on the case for the Mesa County Sheriff ’s Office. Hebenstreit had years of experience with the sheriff ’s office and had investigated many homicides. He’d taken refresher courses on many aspects related to homicides and knew that everything the detectives gathered now would be very important if an arrest was to be made in the murder of Alan Helmick. Hebenstreit wasn’t working alone on this case. In fact, the majority of the MCSO detectives were looking into various aspects of Alan’s murder.

  One of the many people MCSO investigators would eventually talk to was Patricia “Trish” Erikson, who had known Alan Helmick for quite a few years. As Erikson later related, “I lived in Delta for twenty-five years, and cleaned houses in Delta, Cedaredge, and Eckert. I originally met Alan Helmick and his (first) wife, Sharon, when I used to wait tables. In about 2004, I was also cleaning houses and he or his secretary called and asked if I wanted to clean his office building. I started doing that.

  “Later his secretary called me and asked me if I was interested in cleaning Alan’s house in Delta. I was, and went over there and met him. That was in 2005. I cleaned the house every Friday.

  “In 2006, he moved to a home in Whitewater. I went back and forth to clean that house once a month. It was usually about the last Monday of the month. I met Miriam there. They were in and out a lot. They would go take care of the horses or run to town or take care of business.”

  Trish happened to be at the Helmicks’ Whitewater home on June 9, 2008, the day before Alan was murdered. She usually saw Alan and Miriam when she first arrived. But on June 9, Alan and Miriam were out doing something when she got there. The door was not locked, however, as was generally the case, and Trish went to work cleaning the house.

  Later she recalled, “I went into the house about ten A.M. It would normally take me between four and five hours to clean the house. I would start with the living room, then go to the dining room, the kitchen, the office, and then the bedroom. They also had a bathroom off to the side of the office and I would clean that. And from there, I would go downstairs to clean.

  “When Alan was home, he would chitchat with me. He would always say something to me, and Miriam, too. I was in the master bedroom when they came home that day. Alan did not say hello to me. Miriam came rushing in and asked me if I was okay, and I said yes. And then she apologized for not being there, but they’d had some business to take care of.

  “Alan was sitting at a desk near the patio, and I asked him if he was okay, because he hadn’t said ‘hi’ to me or anything. He said that he was. I asked him another question, and I didn’t really understand what he said. It didn’t appear that he wanted to talk to me at all.”

  Erikson thought Alan’s conduct was very strange. He had always been talkative and friendly with her. Now he wouldn’t even look at her. Trish added, “At that point, he got up, walked past the back of Miriam’s chair, came down the hallway, where I was, and started to go toward the living room. Miriam was sitting
at her desk at the time. He went past Miriam, and she had an awful look on her face.

  “Alan accidentally knocked down a board that they used to block off the downstairs, so that the dogs wouldn’t go through there. Miriam said something to him, and at first I don’t think he even heard her. So she said it again. He started to pick up the board, but I told him don’t bother, because I was going downstairs, anyway.

  “Their actions with each other were very strange from the moment they came in the door. Later I saw Miriam and she was going to fill out the check that was for me. Usually, it was Alan who gave me the check, and if he didn’t, he would just leave me an unsigned check and I would fill it out and leave the information for him. The last time I saw Alan alive, he was heading for the bedroom.”

  Investigator Lissah Norcross, of MCSO, began looking into phone records and data about any calls coming in for Alan Helmick that might have been threatening or considered as stalking. When Norcross gave her findings to Hebenstreit, he noted in a report: Investigator Norcross did not discover any information leading to a person or persons with a motive to kill Alan Helmick. She also did not find any information to support that Alan was being stalked, harassed, or threatened by anyone.

  So then the investigators began looking into phone calls left on the Helmicks’ answering machine on the morning of June 10, 2008. The first message on the machine came in at 9:03 A.M. In the message, Miriam said, “Hi, Alan. Love you,” and then she began chatting about going to Walmart and City Market. Miriam asked if Alan wanted her to pick up salad and also if he was going to meet her for lunch. Miriam added that she didn’t want Mexican food that day, and asked if he could meet her at a Chinese restaurant in Grand Junction.

  Obviously, it was a very innocuous-sounding call from Miriam dealing with shopping and lunch. The second phone call from Miriam came in at 9:57 A.M. and sounded much the same way. “Hi, Alan. Haven’t heard from you yet, but I have a question.” Miriam asked if they could exchange a bit for a horse after they had lunch at the Chinese restaurant.

  The tone of the messages began changing with the next phone call. Miriam said at 10:27 A.M.: “Hey, Alan! You need to turn your phone on. Question for you—I went to pick up your prescription and they said that you hadn’t been by yet. So, are we still gonna be able to meet for lunch? If not, well, it’s not like you not to call me, so give me a holler. Thanks. Bye.”

  The next message from Miriam had an even more concerned tone. It came at 11:15 A.M.: “Hey, Alan. This isn’t funny anymore. I’ve been sitting here in front of the Chinese Dragon, or the Chinese place, for fifteen minutes. And you’re never late. So, would you call me? I’m gonna go ahead and go home ’cause I think maybe you’re caught up somewhere. Just thought I’d let you know so that you don’t come over here looking for me. I will see you when you get home. Love you. Bye.”

  That was the last phone message from Miriam to Alan that morning. Of course, when she returned home, she found that Alan had been shot to death.

  While MCSO detectives were conducting their investigation, Miriam Helmick sat down with Channel 11 news reporter Kieran Wilson, of Grand Junction. Wilson asked Miriam about her mentioning of a burglary on the 911 call. Miriam responded, “They took a lot of things, so I won’t really know what’s missing until they (the investigators) tell me what they have.”

  Wilson wanted to know if Miriam had been scared that the person who had shot Alan would come back. Miriam replied, “I don’t know. Yes and no. I don’t want to leave because I’m closer to him there. But I still keep things buttoned up pretty tight.” Then she added, “I want the sheriff ’s office to find out who did it and what they possibly did it for.”

  MCSO investigators were certainly doing that. Investigator Chuck Warner was directed to conduct a background investigation of Miriam Giles Helmick. Using Accurint, which was a computer Internet program, Warner discovered that Miriam had lived in Jacksonville, Florida. While living there, Miriam had been married to Jack C. Giles, who had committed suicide on March 15, 2002. Before that, their daughter, Amy Giles, age twenty-three, had died on August 29, 2000. Amy had died of an accidental prescription drug overdose.

  Warner found that Miriam had two liens and judgments against her. The first was a federal tax lien of more than $20,000 from the year 2007. The second was a civil lien in the state of Georgia for $9,731.

  Warner pulled up other data on Miriam and noted that she had lived in homes around Jacksonville, Florida, during the 1990s until 2004. In 2003 and 2004, a number of court actions had taken place concerning Miriam. Conseco Finance Company sued her, and in the judgment Miriam had to turn over a boat, a boat motor and trailer to them. American Express filed a suit against Miriam and Jack Giles for $68,189. Miriam seemed to have sold her home on Landmark Circle to help defray these costs. Then Miriam moved in with her father and stepmother in the Jacksonville area after the death of her husband.

  CHAPTER 10

  “I’M BETTER OFF WITH HIM ALIVE THAN DEAD.”

  On June 11, 2008, Investigator Lissah Norcross interviewed Portia Vigil, thirty-seven, Alan Helmick’s daughter who lived in Delta, Colorado. Portia told Investigator Norcross that she didn’t know of anyone who might want to harm her father. She said he had always been fair and even-handed in his business practices. Most people who met her father liked him.

  Portia added that Alan’s first wife, and her mother, Sharon Helmick, died unexpectedly about four years previously. This had been from a sudden heart attack. It had been a very difficult situation for everyone in the family, including her sister, Wendy, who lived near Denver, Colorado, sister, Kristy, who lived in Seattle, Washington, and her brother, Alan Jr., who also lived out of state, in Alaska.

  Portia related that her father, Alan, had run Helmick Mortgage in the area since 1986. She stated that he had always been an honest but stern businessman, and that everyone in Delta knew him. Portia also said that, in 2002, her father had gotten out of the mortgage business and moved into land development through his business Crista Lee. Portia mentioned that he owned land in Delta, Garnet Mesa, Fruita, and Clifton. Portia also related that she now ran the Helmick Mortgage business in Delta.

  Portia didn’t know if her father had a specific attorney or if he had a will, but she had talked with him about getting a will after her mother had died. Portia related that her father had always been the type to be very active in his finances and to keep on top of his business transactions.

  Portia told Investigator Norcross that after her mother’s death, her father said he was going to take ballroom dancing lessons because it was something his deceased wife had always wanted to do. Miriam was working at a dance studio and she became Alan Helmick’s dance instructor. The couple had been living together first in Delta, and then got married in June 2006 and bought a home in Whitewater, where they had lived up until the point of Alan’s murder.

  Portia said that Miriam was very different from her mother, and it was hard for her and her siblings to get to know the woman. Then Portia added that before his marriage to Miriam, she could always call her father, leave a message, and he would get back to her in a short period of time. Portia stated that during that period, she spoke with her father on the phone at least twice a week.

  Portia reported that everything had started changing when her father married Miriam. And over the past six months, he had become harder and harder to reach by phone. Portia began getting only voice mail; and even when she called him back, he did not return the call. In frustration Portia started calling Miriam’s cell phone number, asking that her father call her back. Even then, he did so only infrequently.

  Portia told Investigator Norcross that her father had been very sick between January 2008 and the end of April 2008. He was so sick, in fact, that there were many days he couldn’t get out of bed. Alan said he felt dizzy, his legs hurt, and he was always tired. Portia didn’t know what was making her father so sick, but there were a few times he had to check into the hospital in Grand Junction. It
got so bad that her father told her at one point that he had bedsores, and Miriam was only giving him Gatorade to drink.

  Portia told Norcross that she found this scenario very suspicious, because her father had always been a healthy man before meeting Miriam. Portia became so concerned about her father that she started showing up at his home unannounced. Around May 1, she did see that her father was feeling better. He seemed to be his old self, happier and more vibrant.

  And then Portia switched subjects. She told Investigator Norcross that when Miriam moved in with her father, they started owning horses. Portia thought this was strange, because up until that point, her father had never shown any interest in animals at all. Going further into this horse-owning business, Portia said that she knew her father had fired a horse trainer named Stephanie because he thought she had lied to him about how many hours she had worked during one period. Alan and Miriam then hired another woman, whose name she thought was Julie, as the horse trainer, but Portia didn’t know Julie’s last name.

  Another thing struck Portia as strange. When Investigator Norcross told Portia that Miriam had phoned Alan several times on the morning he was killed, Portia said that things were not usually like that. Portia related that her father and Miriam almost always went to town together. And it was not like Miriam to be phoning her father and leaving him messages about where she was and what she was doing. Miriam did not go out on her own very often.

  Portia also said that recently she had been receiving odd phone calls about her father’s finances. That was completely out of character for him. On June 4, 2008, she received a call from American National Bank. They were calling her about a loan that her father had with the bank; and even after numerous phone calls to him, he had never called them back. Alan Watkins, the man at the bank, knew that her father had been sick for a prolonged period of time, and Watkins wanted to make sure her father was okay. Then Watkins told Portia that he needed to talk to her father about his account right away.