Inmate Convicted of Killing Man Who Vanished
A former schoolteacher already in prison for stealing from a Glendale man’s bank account was convicted Thursday of killing the man, although the body has never been found.
A Shasta County Superior Court jury convicted Stanley Hershey, 49, of first-degree murder in the slaying of Gordon Johnson, 62, a retired bank accountant who vanished in October, 1989.
Hershey and his wife, Jan Fine, 40, both former teachers in Santa Monica, met Johnson in September, 1989, at a campground in Minnesota. Shortly after Johnson met up with them a second time at a resort at Shasta Lake, he disappeared.
Johnson’s body has not been found, but Deputy Dist. Atty. Bill Gallagher said the circumstances surrounding his disappearance pointed to murder.
Key pieces of evidence were Hershey’s personal journal entries shortly after he met Johnson. The writings purportedly were the words of a spirit that were channeled through Johnson.
The writings indicated that Hershey was interested in Johnson’s assets and that he was considering killing him to get at them, the prosecutor said.
Hershey is already serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for stealing funds from Johnson’s bank account. He could receive an additional life sentence for murder.
Judge Richard McEachen said sentencing will take place in about a month.
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