the floor. “In this case, a broad diffuse appearance, typical of falling onto a surface such as the floor of his residence.”
Kurtzman noted that Alan did not have any defensive wounds on his hands. There were no needle marks or other signs of illicit drug use. Alan did have two black eyes, but that was not from being punched in that area by a fist or some object. Instead, as Dr. Kurtzman later explained, “The bullet was like a speedboat through calm water. It would create a huge wake. So, when a bullet strikes the brain and it’s traveling so fast, it actually displaces the brain tissue and creates a temporary cavity. The bullet in this case was traveling from back to front, and recovered from near the forehead. Because bones near there were fractured, they produced bleeding around the eyes. So it looked like black eyes, like somebody had punched him.”
As far as toxicology went, Alan had caffeine in his system and cotinine, which was a by-product of smoking. He did not have alcohol in his system. With all the factors weighed in, Dr. Kurtzman determined that Alan Helmick had died a few hours before the first officers had arrived on the scene. Official cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
The Mesa County Coroner’s Office (MCCO) released a short press statement on June 11, 2008. It noted that a sixty-two-year-old resident in Whitewater had been identified as Alan Helmick: A postmortem examination was performed at the Mesa County Coroner’s Office and a gunshot wound to the head was determined to be the cause of death. The manner of death has been classified as a homicide. No additional information is currently available from this office. The release was signed by Robert Kurtzman, Forensic Pathologist. All further inquiries were directed to the Mesa County Sheriff ’s Office.
One of the first things the MCSO investigators did was transcribe phone messages that had been received on Alan Helmick’s cell phone. Besides the messages left by Miriam on the morning of June 10, there were others as well. At 9:29 A.M. , Alan’s daughter Portia called him, but he did not respond. She left a voice message, saying, “Hi, Dad. I hate to bother you so much. It’s just I haven’t been able to talk to you, so things are piling up. I have a verification that I need for you to fill out. Call me and let me know [about this]. That would be great. Thanks. Bye.”
Another phone message came in that day, from one of the Helmicks’ neighbors, who did not know that Alan was dead. The phone message came in at 2:22 P.M. : “Hey, Alan. This is your neighbor Joe. My daughter just called and said there’s investigators and police going all over your property. They came up to our house and asked us questions about your whereabouts. I’m just calling you to touch base in case you weren’t aware of this. I hope you’re okay. Give me a call. And then I can call them (the police) and lay to rest . . . um, put their mind at ease, is what I’m trying to say.”
Another message was left on Alan’s cell phone, even though it was directed to Miriam. It was from Miriam’s friend, Penny Lyons, at six thirty-nine on the morning after Alan’s murder. Penny was crying on the phone: “Miriam, if you get this message, this is Penny. Please call me if you get this. I love you sweetie. Bye.”
Another message was left on June 11, at 7:58 A.M. “Hi, this is Trish. I read in the paper about the robbery at your house. Just making sure you guys are okay. Please call me back and let me know.”
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
Kurtzman noted that Alan did not have any defensive wounds on his hands. There were no needle marks or other signs of illicit drug use. Alan did have two black eyes, but that was not from being punched in that area by a fist or some object. Instead, as Dr. Kurtzman later explained, “The bullet was like a speedboat through calm water. It would create a huge wake. So, when a bullet strikes the brain and it’s traveling so fast, it actually displaces the brain tissue and creates a temporary cavity. The bullet in this case was traveling from back to front, and recovered from near the forehead. Because bones near there were fractured, they produced bleeding around the eyes. So it looked like black eyes, like somebody had punched him.”
As far as toxicology went, Alan had caffeine in his system and cotinine, which was a by-product of smoking. He did not have alcohol in his system. With all the factors weighed in, Dr. Kurtzman determined that Alan Helmick had died a few hours before the first officers had arrived on the scene. Official cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
The Mesa County Coroner’s Office (MCCO) released a short press statement on June 11, 2008. It noted that a sixty-two-year-old resident in Whitewater had been identified as Alan Helmick: A postmortem examination was performed at the Mesa County Coroner’s Office and a gunshot wound to the head was determined to be the cause of death. The manner of death has been classified as a homicide. No additional information is currently available from this office. The release was signed by Robert Kurtzman, Forensic Pathologist. All further inquiries were directed to the Mesa County Sheriff ’s Office.
One of the first things the MCSO investigators did was transcribe phone messages that had been received on Alan Helmick’s cell phone. Besides the messages left by Miriam on the morning of June 10, there were others as well. At 9:29 A.M. , Alan’s daughter Portia called him, but he did not respond. She left a voice message, saying, “Hi, Dad. I hate to bother you so much. It’s just I haven’t been able to talk to you, so things are piling up. I have a verification that I need for you to fill out. Call me and let me know [about this]. That would be great. Thanks. Bye.”
Another phone message came in that day, from one of the Helmicks’ neighbors, who did not know that Alan was dead. The phone message came in at 2:22 P.M. : “Hey, Alan. This is your neighbor Joe. My daughter just called and said there’s investigators and police going all over your property. They came up to our house and asked us questions about your whereabouts. I’m just calling you to touch base in case you weren’t aware of this. I hope you’re okay. Give me a call. And then I can call them (the police) and lay to rest . . . um, put their mind at ease, is what I’m trying to say.”
Another message was left on Alan’s cell phone, even though it was directed to Miriam. It was from Miriam’s friend, Penny Lyons, at six thirty-nine on the morning after Alan’s murder. Penny was crying on the phone: “Miriam, if you get this message, this is Penny. Please call me if you get this. I love you sweetie. Bye.”
Another message was left on June 11, at 7:58 A.M. “Hi, this is Trish. I read in the paper about the robbery at your house. Just making sure you guys are okay. Please call me back and let me know.”
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
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