Man Denies Slaying of Traveler Who Vanished

A former Santa Monica teacher pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he robbed and murdered a retired Glendale accountant who disappeared in 1989 but whose body has never been found.

If convicted, Stanley Alan Hershey, 48, could face the death penalty on the charges filed in Shasta County in Northern California. Hershey last year was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was convicted in federal court of stealing the motor home and life savings of Gordon T. Johnson, last seen on Oct. 15, 1989, while traveling from Oregon to Southern California.

Authorities charge that Hershey murdered Johnson, whose body may have been dumped in Shasta Lake. Hershey’s wife, Jan Fine Hershey, 39, also was convicted on the federal charges and sentenced to five years in prison. No murder charges have been filed against her and she is expected to testify against her husband.