5 chilling details about Alan Helmick's murder

The upcoming ABC's 20/20 is all set to dive into the brutal murder of Alan Helmick, a Delta, Colorado, native, who was shot to death by his own wife because of financial motives. The case took quite a few twists and turns and ended up revealing a heartbreaking plot by a scheming woman who had seemingly done it all before.

20/20 season 47, episode 20, is all set to cover this case in detail and will air at 9.00 PM EST on Friday, January 31, 2025, on ABC. The logline for the episode, as revealed by ABC's latest press release, reads:

"Alan Helmick was a successful businessman who met his second wife, Miriam, while attending a dance class that she taught. The couple went on to live a seemingly happy life on a sprawling horse ranch, and Alan helped Miriam open her own dance studio to pursue her passion for teaching. This union was shattered when Miriam called 911 to report her husband had been murdered in their home."

This case is filled with chilling details that would appeal to true crime fans all over. Ahead of the upcoming episode of 20/20, let us go over five such crucial details.

---

5 key details about the murder of Alan Helmick

1) Alan Helmick's murder scene was disguised as an attempted robbery attempt

On June 10, 2008, Miriam Helmick reportedly came home at around noon and found Alan lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen. He was shot to death in the head. The house was in disarray and it initially seemed like a robbery attempt. When the authorities delved into this, they became certain that the crime scene was intentionally staged to look like a robbery scene.

---

2) There was another attempt at Alan Helmick's life months before his death

Alan's wife had tried killing him before (Image via Pexels)

In what cannot be considered a coincidence, Alan almost lost his life in April 2008 when his car caught on fire. Upon investigation, authorities discovered that a burnt piece of rope was inserted into the fuel tank of the car, confirming that it was an attempted arson.

---

3) Miriam tried to blame Alan Helmick's son for both his death and the earlier attempt on his life

After Alan's death, the authorities became certain of Alan's wife's involvement. She was also the one present when Alan's car caught on fire. However, in the earlier instance, she alluded to Alan Jr., Alan's son from his previous marriage, being responsible for the attempt. She claimed that Alan Jr. was a drug addict and had run-ins with the law.

---

4) Miriam Helmick may have killed her previous husband for financial gains as well

Miriam Helmick was charged with her husband's murder (Image via Pexels)

As authorities delved deeper into Miriam's past, it turned out that her previous husband had also died from a gunshot wound to his head. At the time, it was ruled as a suicide but detectives noted a peculiar detail.

Miriam's ex-husband was left-handed but had allegedly shot himself on the right side of his head. Authorities alleged that she had killed her previous husband too for financial gain.

---

5) Despite a lack of physical evidence, authorities were able to charge and sentence Miriam Helmick

During the first round of investigation, Miriam was checked for gunpowder residue but she was cleared. However, more and more evidence started coming to light as the authorities looked deeper into Alan Helmick's murder.

Not only did Miriam stage a threat to herself after Alan's murder, but she also tried to get a hefty life insurance policy in Alan's name without his knowledge. She also forged checks to steal Alan’s money.

All this combined, Miriam Helmick was sentenced to prison for life plus 108 years.

---

The upcoming episode of 20/20 on ABC will shed more light on this case.