Murder Charges Filed in 1989 Disappearance

Murder charges have been filed in Shasta County against a former Santa Monica schoolteacher serving 20 years in federal prison in the 1989 disappearance of a retired Glendale accountant.

Charges of murder with special circumstances and robbery were filed Tuesday in Redding Municipal Court against Stanley Alan Hershey, 47, on the second anniversary of the disappearance of Gordon T. (Gordy) Johnson, 62.

A key witness in the trial is expected to be Hershey’s wife, Jan Vicki Fine, 38, also a former Santa Monica schoolteacher sentenced to five years in prison in connection with Johnson’s disappearance. No charges have been filed against Fine, said Shasta County Assistant Dist. Atty. Jim Ruggiero.

The Hersheys were convicted a year ago in Las Vegas federal court of stealing the motor home and life savings of Johnson, whom they had met while both Johnson and the couple were traveling across country in motor homes.

While Johnson’s body has never been found, federal and state investigators have long said they believe that Johnson was killed while traveling with the couple from Oregon to Northern California and that his body was dumped in Shasta Lake. Johnson’s dog, Rocky, also disappeared.