Lead Story
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Among the cast of characters in a Martinez, California, trial that was nearing conclusion at press time: Glenn Taylor Helzer, a former stockbroker who pleaded guilty to several murders, extortion, and kidnapping as part of a plan to hasten Christ’s return; his brother Justin, who’s been convicted of the crimes but says he was insane and under Glenn’s control; their roommate Dawn Godman, who pleaded guilty too and testified about (among other things) Glenn’s plot to train Brazilian orphans to assassinate elders of the Mormon church, allowing him to take over as its sole true prophet; self-professed “good witch” Debra McClanahan, who said the Helzers and Godman borrowed some carpet cleaner from her late one night, then got her to help with their alibi; and Keri Mendoza, a former girlfriend of Glenn’s who wasn’t charged with any crime but testified reluctantly for the state (she said Glenn had given her the confidence to eventually become Playboy’s Miss September 2000).
Not My Fault
Questionable Judgments
A 46-year-old South African soldier, part of a peacekeeping force in Burundi, was killed in January when a tree fell over onto the portable toilet he was using. And in June a 45-year-old television cameraman was struck and killed by a car at an Omaha, Nebraska, intersection; he was working on a story about how dangerous the intersection is.
