Kriti Mehrotra
There was fear in the air in Concord, California, in the summer of 2000, as 5 individuals were murdered before it came to light that two brothers and their partners were at the center of it all. Thankfully, as chronicled in Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Playboy Murders: The Centerfold and the Serial Killer,’ most of them were apprehended within days. We say most of them because reported mastermind Glenn Taylor Helzer, his brother Justin Helzer, and the latter’s girlfriend Dawn Godman, had already removed his girlfriend from the picture.
Glenn Helzer is a Self-Declared Prophet, and Justin Was His Loyal Follower
It was on July 26, 1970, that Glenn Taylor Helzer was born in Lansing, Michigan, to Carma and Gerry Helzer, shortly followed by a sister and finally Justin Alan Helzer on February 12, 1972. They were raised in a devout Mormon household, meaning they were taught the significance of faith, family, integrity, repentance, and service at an early age. However, things changed for the brothers in 1998, when the elder had to go on disability after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder – he was a former National Guard officer turned stockbroker.
It was this same year, in 1998, that Glenn was also excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for reported drug use, driving him to soon declare himself a prophet. According to records, he was living with his brother Justin by this point—they had moved in together after he parted ways with his wife and the mother of his two daughters, Ann, in 1996. Therefore, the latter was allegedly the first to become enamored by his intense charm, believing that by following his elder sibling’s every instruction or order, he was following the word of God.
As per the statements of Keri Mendoza (better known as Kerissa Fare), Glenn’s girlfriend from 1998 to early 2000, the ex-corporate worker was extremely domineering towards his sibling, too. She actually claimed that Justin was rather childlike since he was a quiet, innocent young man who preferred to eat organic food, meditate, and release insects found in their home. On the other hand, his brother allegedly used to tell him he was “#2” and had developed a “12 Principles of Magic” manifesto that included concepts like there is “no such thing as right and wrong.”
Glenn Helzer and Justin Helzer Committed Heinous Crimes to Finance Their Cult
By the time Keri had moved out of the Helzer brothers’ home to pursue a modeling career in Southern California, Glenn and Justin had reportedly already been making some criminal plans. According to documents, the self-proclaimed “prophet” often spoke of assassinating Mormon leaders to take over the Church, blackmailing his former stockbroker clients, trafficking underage orphans from Brazil, and establishing a self-help group focused on bringing peace and joy, called Transform America. He and his followers subsequently also began referring to themselves as the “Children of Thunder,” so to finance these plans, it was decided they would extort money from an elderly couple.
Their targets were Ivan and Annette Stineman, who had once employed Glenn as their stockbroker, so the latter knew they had more than enough money to write them a cheque for $100,000. Thus, on July 30, 2000, the brothers as well as Justin’s girlfriend, Dawn Godman, kidnapped the couple, had them sign the cheque, and then killed them before dismembering their remains. Then, merely 3 days later, they did the same to Selina Bishop, Glenn’s then-girlfriend (who knew him as Jordan), in fear she would talk because he’d had her open bank accounts for him under her name.
As if that’s not enough, the cult members also visited Selina’s apartment to get rid of evidence, just to end up shooting her mother, Jennifer Villarin, and the latter’s friend, James Gamble, too. The duo was at the wrong place at the wrong time, yet Glenn, Justin, and Dawn reportedly didn’t hesitate to either get the job done or witness it being done with a gun registered to Justin. This, combined with fingerprints recovered from the Stinemans’ abandoned van, as well as all dismembered remains being found near the Sacramento River Delta, resulted in the trio’s arrest on August 7.
While Glenn Helzer is Currently on Death Row, Justin Helzer Has Died by Suicide
Although Glenn, Justin, and Dawn were taken into custody and charged with five counts of murder in August 2000, it wasn’t until a few years later that their respective cases went to court. Dawn actually ended up pleading guilty in 2003 for a reduced sentence – 25 years for murder, plus 12⅔ years for related charges – in exchange for her testimony against the brothers. Then, that same year, shortly before his trial was to commence, Glenn also entered into a plea deal in the hopes of avoiding the death penalty, but a peer jury ultimately decided it was fair to place him on death row.
As for Justin, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, with his lawyers claiming he was a lesser player in the crimes as he just followed his brother, whom he believed “spoke as a prophet of God.” However, in the end, following weeks of testimonies, including those of Keri and Dawn, a jury found him guilty of quintuple homicide, for which he was also sentenced to death. Justin reportedly could not handle his time in maximum security prison, so he actually attempted suicide in 2010 by ramming pens into both his eyes, but it tragically left him blinded and with brain damage.
It was on April 14, 2013, that 41-year-old Justin passed away by hanging himself in his cell while incarcerated at the maximum-security San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in Marin County, California. Coming to Glenn, at the age of 54, he is still on death row and currently incarcerated at the medium to maximum-security Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California. His condemnation includes his sentence for 5 counts of murder as well as added special circumstances for each, including attempted robbery, robbery, conspiracy, extortion, false imprisonment, kidnapping, multiple-murder special, possession of a controlled substance, and weapons enhancement.
Read More: Kerissa Fare AKA Keri Mendoza: What Happened to the Ex-Playboy Model?
