Scared, head covered with a pillowcase, secluded in a chalet with her husband: what should have been a quiet Sunday for Sandra Helm and her husband turned into a real nightmare. The kidnapping in September 2020 is related to her grandson’s involvement in drug cases, the American said Tuesday morning at the Montreal courthouse, where phone calls between the kidnappers and son Helm were presented.
Posted at 5:00 am
Sandra Helm, 73, testified Tuesday at Gary Arnold’s jury trial. He is accused of kidnapping, confiscating and threatening Sandra and James Helm.
The American couple were kidnapped and held for ransom because a cocaine import went wrong after the arrest of the Helms’ grandson.
Sunday evening 27th September 2020. Sandra and James Helm are back home after celebrating their wedding anniversary. Mrs. Helm watches TV while her husband sleeps in the bedroom, the victim told an attentive jury.
According to Ms. Helm’s account, two strangers break into her home in Moira, New York.
The kidnappers tell him that ” [son] Grandson had done something wrong,” urging the terrified couple to follow them outside. “Quick, hurry up. If you take too long you’ll regret it,” “the mafia is out there waiting for you,” they reportedly said according to.
Ms. Helm then recounts how she was pushed into a pickup truck with a pillowcase. “I had no idea where we were going. I couldn’t see anything. »
The victim cannot urinate without a catheter. “I cried in pain. »
One of the kidnappers returned with a male catheter, leaving the victim in severe pain. It wasn’t until much later that he got a proper catheter. In video shown to the jury, a man identified by Ms. Helm as Gary Arnold shows up at the hospital for catheters.
“Your parents are fine”
Three men were inside the Magog home where the couple is said to have been seized. One reportedly told Ms. Helm she was there because of her grandson, Mackenzie Helm. “He tells me he stole $3.5 million worth of drugs,” the victim explained.
Her grandson allegedly stole 50kg of cocaine in a drug deal that turned sour. He is currently incarcerated.
PHOTO HUGO-SEBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Michael Helm at the Montreal Courthouse on Tuesday
Meanwhile, Michael Helm, one of the couple’s sons and Mackenzie Helm’s uncle, had contacted local police after discovering his parents were missing.
He later received an initial call from one of the kidnappers, he told jurors Tuesday afternoon.
“We have your parents. Your nephew took my things. I either want my stuff or your nephew,” reads a phone call presented in evidence.
Several other tense phone conversations between Michael Helm and the kidnappers were heard by the jury. “I don’t want your parents. he is your nephew Her nephew put her in this situation. »
Michael Helm then talks to his parents. Mrs. Helm tearfully assures him that she is not hurt. One of the kidnappers then turns to the Helm Son. “Your parents are fine. They are treated so well that they may never want to come back,” he laughs.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Sandra Helm (center) at the Montreal Courthouse on Tuesday
The couple stayed in the chalet’s basement all night after their arrival. The kidnappers had planned to move him.
“I didn’t think we would return home. I couldn’t believe they would just let us go. We had seen their faces,” said Sandra Helm.
The Sûreté du Québec Tactical Intervention Group (GTI) released the victims and arrested the suspects just in time, just before they left Magog.