Glen Helzer and the Children of Thunder (Part 1)
Morbid30 Jun 2025

Glen Helzer and the Children of Thunder (Part 1)

When Ivan and Annette Stineman disappeared from their home in Concord, California in the summer of 2000, it immediately raised red alarmed with those closest to the elderly couple. Those alarms proved to be justified when, a week later, the remains of the Stinemans and three others were discovered in duffel bags in Sacramento River Delta.


The day after the remains were found in river, investigators arrested Taylor and Justin Helzer, and Justin’s girlfriend, Dawn Godman, for the murders of Ivan and Annette Stineman. A short time later, they would also be charged with the murders of Taylor’s girlfriend, Selina Bishop, her mother, Jenny Villarin, and Villarin’s boyfriend, Jim Gamble.


At first, investigators believed the murders were part of a plot to extort the Stinemans for a large amount of money, but the deeper they dug into the lives and backgrounds of the killers, a different and far more bizarre motive began to emerge.


Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!


References

Aguila, Justino. 2000. "Boyfriend probed in homicides." San Francisco Examiner, August 7: 3.


Bulwa, Demian. 2004. "Killer lays out grisly details of murder spree." San Francisco Chronicle, May 28.


Kim, Ryan. 2000. "Double slaying rattles Marin town." San Francisco Examiner, August 4: 16.


Lee, Henry K. 2013. "Justin Helzer hangs himself in prison." San Francisco Chronicle, April 16.


People of the State of California v. Helzer. 2024. S132256 (Supreme Court of California, January 22).


Read, Simon. 2004. "Jury finds Helzer guilty of murder." East Bay Times, June 17.


San Francisco Examiner. 2000. "Delta body parts identified ." San Francisco Examiner, August 9.


—. 2000. "Elvin Bishop's daughter missing." San Francisco Examiner, August 5: 3.


Scott, Robert. 2005. Unholy Sacrifice. New York, NY: Pinnacle Books.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episoder(819)

The Unsolved Murder of Melissa Witt

The Unsolved Murder of Melissa Witt

On December 1, 1994, nineteen-year-old Melissa Witt planned to meet her mother at a Fort Smith, Arkansas bowling alley, but by all appearances, she only made it as far as the parking lot. Two days lat...

23 Jan 202552min

The Crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571

The Crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571

On October 13, 1972, a chartered aircraft carrying forty-five passengers, including 19 members of the Old Christians’ Club rugby team, departed from Montevideo, Uruguay bound for Santiago, Chile. Abou...

20 Jan 20251h 17min

The Bobbed Haired Bandit

The Bobbed Haired Bandit

In the winter of 1924, the boroughs of New York City were plagued by a series of robberies ostensibly committed by a young couple. This was not the first time a woman had been involved in armed robber...

16 Jan 202556min

Gordon Cummins: The Blackout Ripper (Part 2)

Gordon Cummins: The Blackout Ripper (Part 2)

In February 1942, Gordon Cummins, a twenty-eight-year-old Royal Air Force Serviceman, murdered four women and attempted to murder two others over a six-day period in London, leading the press to dub h...

13 Jan 202546min

Gordon Cummins: The Blackout Ripper (Part 1)

Gordon Cummins: The Blackout Ripper (Part 1)

In response to the onset of German bombing raids during World War II, many of England’s most vulnerable citizens evacuated or were temporarily evacuated out of urban areas to safer, more rural parts o...

9 Jan 202544min

Michael and Suzan Carson: San Francisco Witch Killers

Michael and Suzan Carson: San Francisco Witch Killers

On January 12, 1983, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department received a call from a frantic driver who reported they’d just witnessed a shooting on the side of the side of the road in Fulton, Californi...

6 Jan 20251h 15min

Listener Tales 93

Listener Tales 93

Happy New Year, weirdos, and we're celebrating the holidays with Holiday tales brought TO you, BY you, For you, FROM you, and ALLLLL about you!Today we have boogens, a Hanukkah haunting, horrible Four...

2 Jan 202553min

The Suspected Crimes of Guy Muldavin

The Suspected Crimes of Guy Muldavin

When a girl walking on a Provincetown, Massachusetts beach discovered the decomposing body of a young woman in the summer of 1974, it began an investigation into what would become one of the most noto...

30 Des 20241h 5min

Populært innen Humor

rss-spartsklubben
papaya
harm-og-hegseth
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
enkel-servering
tore-og-haralds-podkast
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
tusvik-tnne
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
misjonen-med-antonsen-og-golden
rss-snorre-med-gaute
wolfgang-wee-uncut
jan-thomas-og-einar-blir-venner
verdens-verste
hanna-de-heldige
rss-det-alle-snakker-om-med-siri-og-kim
rss-dannet-uten-piano
frokostshowet-pa-p5