There aren’t many true crime stories as interesting and emotional as the one about Miriam Helmick, a dance teacher who was found guilty of killing her second husband, Alan Helmick. In the episode of ABC’s popular news show 20/20 called “Run, Run, Run,” this shocking story of betrayal, greed, and family secrets came to life. When it aired on January 31, 2025, the episode went into great detail about the investigation, trial, and aftermath of Alan’s murder. It showed how the case took many dark turns. There was another story, though, one that wasn’t often told, behind the courtroom drama and the shocking headlines. It was about Miriam’s son, Chris Giles, who lost everything and felt terrible pain as his family broke up.
Chris Giles’s life will never be the same again because of what his mother did. Chris’s story is one of strength in the face of terrible tragedy; from the deaths of his sister and father to the shocking discovery that his mother is guilty. Christopher Giles, Miriam Helmick’s son, lost everything. This is his story of how he found the strength to keep going.
The Start: A Split Family
Chris Giles grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, with what seemed like a friendly, normal family. Mitzi Giles was Chris’s older sister, and she and her husband Jack Giles had been married for 26 years. Things were going well for a while, but in 2000, Amy died of a drug overdose. It was a terrible loss for the family, and Chris and his parents still have to deal with their grief. Even though Miriam and Jack’s relationship was already weak, Amy’s death made it even worse and the family started to fall apart.
Chris thinks that Amy’s death had a big effect on his dad, Jack. The once-close relationship between Jack and Miriam started to fall apart and things in the family became more tense. Then, on April 15, 2002, the Giles family was hit with yet another terrible blow. There was a gunshot that woke Chris up from his sleep in his bed. As he ran to his parents’ room, he saw his mother crying out in shock, “He killed himself.” Chris’s dad, Jack Giles, killed himself while Miriam was sleeping next to him.
That day, Chris was the one who called 911, and he had to physically stop his mother from going back into the room where his father’s body was lying. No one was charged with murder in Jack’s death, so his family had to deal with the damage. Now that Miriam was divorced, she chose to start over. Once she got to Colorado, she met Alan Helmick, a successful businessman who had also lost his first wife, Sharon. For a short time, it looked like Miriam was happy again after they got married in June 2006. But that happiness wouldn’t last long.
The Killing of Alan Helmick
Alan Helmick was found dead in the kitchen of his Whitewater, Colorado, home on June 10, 2008. He had been shot. The community was shocked when Miriam called 911 to report the murder. Alan was a well-known and respected businessman, and the small town was shocked when he died. Investigators quickly learned that this wasn’t the first time someone tried to kill Alan. Someone had set fire to his car while he was inside it not long before. The police started to think Miriam might have been involved, and their worries grew when a scary message was left on her door weeks after Alan’s death.
More and more bad things started to come out as the investigation went on. Investigators looked closely at Miriam’s financial dealings and found proof of fraud and identity theft. They also found a link to a family secret that went back 20 years. As more information came in, it became clear that Miriam was the most likely person to have killed Alan.
Chris Giles: An Unwilling Witness;
As soon as Miriam was arrested and charged with killing Alan, her son Chris was in a tough spot. He had already lost his father and sister, and now his mother was going to prison for life. Chris was asked to give evidence in Miriam’s trial. He didn’t want to, but he knew he had to be honest. His testimony would be very important in getting Miriam convicted.
Chris told them that Miriam had moved to Florida to live with him after Alan died. She had told him that the police had given her permission to leave Colorado, but Chris found out later that this wasn’t true. Also, he said in court that Miriam had started dating again under the name of Alan’s late first wife, Sharon. It was like nothing had happened. Chris said that he had told his mother not to use Sharon’s identity, but she had not listened to him.
Chris knew it was the right thing to do, even though it hurt to testify against his own mother. He told the judge that even though he loved his mother, he didn’t understand why someone would kill her. It was his testimony that changed the outcome of the trial. In 2009, Miriam was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder by arson, and several counts of forgery. She was given a 108-year prison sentence with no chance of parole.
It was the end of a long and painful time in Chris Giles’ life when he was tried and found guilty. In just a few years, he had lost his sister, his father, and now his mother. Even though these losses were very heavy, Chris chose to keep his mind on the future. He is now living a quiet life in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works as a Sales System Engineer for AT&T. He hasn’t been seen in public since then.
Chris’s story shows how to stay strong in the face of unimaginable tragedy. He has had to deal with the fact that his whole family died and that his mother was capable of such a horrible crime. Even though everything, he has found a way to keep going. Even though he is trying to start over, he keeps the memories of his loved ones close to his heart.
Even though Miriam Helmick was found guilty of killing Alan Helmick, there are still some questions that need to be answered. There have been rumors that Miriam had something to do with Jack Giles’s death, but the official cause of death was still ruled to be suicide. They hurt Chris because they make him think about the past, but he has chosen not to dwell on them. He instead thinks about the present and the future, determined to live a strong and honest life in honor of the people he has lost.
The journey of Chris Giles shows how the human spirit can endure and triumph. There is tragedy in his story, but there is also hope. It shows that even in the worst times, you can find light and move on. The 20/20 episode “Run, Run, Run” may have been mostly about the crime and the trial but Chris Giles’s story needs to be told. It’s a story about loss, coming back from it, and the strength of the human spirit.
