And Then She Killed Him (30 page)
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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(Courtesy of Mesa County District Attorney’s Office)
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