4 Doralee Olds Hofmann Credit: Youtube/Gospel Tangents Who is Mark Hofmann's ex-wife Doralee Olds Hofmann? The Utah Department of Corrections releases few details publicly on its inmates, but his profile describes a man who could be easily overlooked as a double murderer: a 66-year-old man, 5-feet 9-inches tall and weighing 180 pounds. We bought those documents only after the assurance that they were genuine. According to Lindsey, the Hofmann affair emboldened many scholars to penetrate deeper into Mormon history that its most conservative leaders wanted left unexplored, and that church leaders were unlikely to be able to fully contain the fires of intellectual curiosity that Hofmann helped fan. Now, Netflix is getting in on the act. I felt like that was the end, Hofmann wrote. Whether it be within the obituaries of their grandparents or the various interviews their mother gives to news outlets, their identities have always remained protected. In fact, not even their full names are public knowledge. Catch the stream. Since 1988, they havent communicated except in letters talking about the welfare of their children. The most important thing to him was to keep from being exposed as a fraud in front of his family and friends. His behavior in prison did not throw up red flags, prison spokesman Steve Gehrke told Fox 13, but they had plans to keep tabs on Hofmann at the lower security facility. Sure enough, Olds "discovered" a piece of parchment gummed into the Bible, with Egyptian-looking scribbles on it. Obviously, alot (sic) more was involved., Editors note: Excerpts in italics were taken from former Deseret News reporter Elaine Jarviks 2005 story Tales of Hofmann: Forgeries, deceit continue to intrigue 20 years later., Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. For a while, Dorie did feel like her children no longer respected or listened to her, which is why she had to separate and ship them away. If youre here curious about the same, weve got you covered. Mark Hoffman Chief Research Information Officer, Children's Mercy Research Professor - Pediatrics, Biomedical and Health Informatics UMKC (volunteer) Research Professor - Pediatrics - KU Medical . [c][5]:58 Dorie Olds Hofmann filed for divorce in 1987, two years after Hofmann's crimes came to light, and became co-founder of a holistic medicine company.[11]. In late 2015, the prison moved Hofmann out of maximum security in Draper to the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison. You need to dial this back right now. Well look at it on a continual basis, Gehrke said in 2016. She feels accepted and welcomed into an LDS congregation in Holladay, where she recently was asked to give a short talk. While there, she heard that her husband was wounded and rushed to the hospital after a bomb went off in his car. She believed he was, indeed, a liar and a cheat. The fact you think racism is literally only the dictionary definition is lord, man, its super embarrassing for you. He soon fabricated other historically significant documents and became noted among LDS Church history buffs for his "discoveries" of previously unknown materials pertaining to the Latter Day Saint movement. Meantime, a deal with the Library of Congress to buy his rarest find the early 17th century Oath of a Freeman for $1.5 million didnt pan out. Mark Hofmann was the mastermind behind deadly bombings that served as the focal point of the new Netflix docuseries, Murder Among the Mormons. Hofmann, 66, has revealed little about himself in the more than three decades since he started serving a life sentence at the Utah State Prison in 1987. He was sentenced to a five-years-to-life prison term, but after a lengthy interview in 1988 the year he wrote the letter the parole board told him hell never get out of prison. Fooling people gave me a sense of power and superiority.. Though she occasionally felt a vague unease about her husband's work, she acknowledges she asked few questions about his business. Powered by. I hold no such belief and have not expressed such explicitly nor implicitly. She spoke about her life experience Thursday October 8, 2015. Mark William Hofmann (born December 7, 1954) is an American counterfeiter, forger, and convicted murderer. You can watch Murder Among the Mormons on Netflix now. Your email address will not be published. He doesnt have any behaviors that would indicate hed be a problem. But she couldn't accept the idea that the man who had fathered her children and shared her life could have killed so coldbloodedly. Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 12. "He set me up. Mark Hofmann Injuries in the Bombing: Is He Still Alive? - Heavy.com Chief investigator Jim Bell said, "They're hiding something; the church is doing everything it can to make this as difficult as possible. Scope and Contents This collection contains one portrait of Mark Hoffman's family in 1984. So he devised a scheme to kill two people as a "diversion," which he hoped would throw at least the LDS Church's attention off of him. On the following day, a third bomb exploded in Hofmann's car. I felt I would rather take human life or even my own life rather than to be exposed.. Netflixs Murder Among the Mormons is a limited docuseries that chronicles the life and actions of the criminal mastermind behind one of the most shocking crimes to have transpired in the Mormon community. If I am mansplaining are you not blacksplaining? I am not ashamed to admit that we were victimized. But when Mark confessed, and the reality of his actions dawned on her, Dorie filed for divorce. A few months later, he came home with a 17th-century Bible and urged her to look through it something he had never done before. Hofmann also traded in many legitimate historical documents acquired from rare book sellers and collectors. Books by Mark Hoffman (Author of Spiritual Navigation) - Goodreads Hofmann wrote a letter to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole in 1988 saying childish games intending to trick people fueled the fire for what became the master forgery of Mormon documents. Police were on the lookout for a serial bomber when . By then he had already appeared in Time magazine as the young document dealer who had discovered a long-lost document of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Anthon Transcript, on which LDS Church founder Joseph Smith had copied Egyptian characters from the gold plates that were later translated into the Book of Mormon. All we know of Marks son and three daughters is that they have grown up without their biological father in their lives. The body of Steven Christensen is removed from the Judge Building in Salt Lake City in October 1986. That was how she could testify that he was home that day and pass several lie-detector tests. Mark Hofmann: The true story of bomber from Murder Among the Mormons "He was acting the same. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished forgers in history, Hofmann is especially noted for his creation of documents related to the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Such a letter, if true, would portray Young and, by extension, the LDS Church, in an unfavorable light. Some former friends in her Mormon congregation shunned her, she says, believing she had been an accomplice to his crimes an accusation she adamantly denies. Dr. Hoffman's role is to accelerate and improve all types of research at the Children's Mercy Research Institute through resources such as data, applications and technology. He obtained loans from local businessmen using real, rare books from his personal collection as collateral. Utah entrepreneur whose wife was killed by infamous bomber Mark Hofmann She spoke for 25 minutes without notes, telling her story to many who didn't know anything about it. Hofmann is imprisoned at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah, in the Monroe unit, according to his inmate records. Find Dr. Hoffman's phone number, address, insurance information, hospital affiliations and more. Dorie Olds is the ex-wife of Mormon bomber Mark Hofmann, who killed two people on Oct. 15, 1985. The LDS Church announced the discovery of the Anthon Transcript in April and purchased it from Hofmann for more than US$20,000. "But I never felt she had much interest in what Mark was doing and not aware of a lot of his work.". This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. I don't believe in God. ", 'Mark Hofmann was unquestionably the most skilled forger this country has ever seen,' said Charles Hamilton, a New York document dealer who is widely regarded as the nation's pre-eminent detector of forged documents. She had four children to rear and needed to re-establish her life. Document examiner George Throckmorton analyzed several Hofmann documents that had previously been deemed authentic and determined they were forgeries. [18][j] Document expert Kenneth W. Rendell later said that while there was "the absence of any indication of forgery in the letter itself, there was also no evidence that it was genuine. For example, for the first time in my life I took an interest in reading the obituaries. Collection: Photograph of the Mark Hofmann family | BYU Library Marc Hoffmann - IMDb Devout grandparents. "It was possible, George thought, that Hofmann could have destroyed Mormonism. Watch for it next week at @RDispatches, along with recaps of each of the three episodes. Where Is Mark Hofmann Now? He Was Convicted of Murder [b], Like many young men in the LDS Church, Hofmann volunteered to spend two years as an LDS missionary, and in 1973 the church sent him to its mission in Bristol, England. Hofmanns forgeries were intended to embarrass The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in hopes of extorting the church for money to keep the fake documents private. According to the Mormon scripture Joseph SmithHistory, the transcript and its unusual reformed Egyptian characters were copied by Smith from the golden plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon. Also go through your whole vomit word cloud and pick out the dog whistles. Thanks, Rebecca: An interesting story, this. She found healing for herself through hypnosis, she says, and has channeled her. "It is where she always wanted to be," McNeil says, "but didn't know it was possible.". [l][22], But Hofmann's grandest scheme was to forge what was perhaps the most famous missing document in American colonial history, the Oath of a Freeman. By Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune. Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times. Some of his forgeries were accepted by scholars for years, and an unknown number of them may still be in circulation. They don't know they're dead. He's mean.". In 1988, Olds divorced Hofmann, who pleaded guilty to murdering Christensen and Sheets as well as forging dozens of documents and is incarcerated for life at the Utah State Prison. Within the hour the board, citing Hofmann's "callous disregard for human life", decided that he would indeed spend the remainder of his "natural life in prison". Who is Mark Hofmann's ex-wife Doralee Olds Hofmann? - The Sun I have enjoyed the ongoing transition of this site but finally said something because Ive just come to dislike Marcus ongoing commentary and urge to mansplain to everyone. "[5]:378, After Hofmann was imprisoned, he was excommunicated by the LDS Church and his wife filed for divorce. Across the aisle was a pregnant Dorie Olds, then-wife of Mark Hofmann, the LDS forger who was accused of the heinous act. ", Olds wanted to start healing other people, says longtime friend Sylvia Gregerson, who met the bomber's wife after the crimes, "to try and heal herself.". He was smart and interesting, and they enjoyed long conversations. 1988 letter to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. When she arrived, his parents were already there. New York prosecutors also sought an indictment for the fraudulent sale of Oath of a Freeman. Two Mormon wives sat on opposite sides of the Salt Lake City courtroom, staring intently at images on a screen as a witness described Steve Christensen's body after a pipe bomb shredded it. State prison officials on Monday confirmed Hofmann, 61, was moved out of maximum security housing at the Draper prison to the Gunnison faciltiy in December of 2015. As far back as I can remember I have liked to impress people through my deceptions, he wrote. and I a black woman am saying you a white man are racist. Au contraire: I, a white man, say that you, a black woman, are racist. He killed two people in the bombings and injured himself in the third, later writing a letter to say he planned the bombings because he was in too deep on a forgery scheme of early Mormon documents. The murders and his forgeries are the subject of the three-part Netflix documentary, which was released today, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. [7][8]:20506,316 He had learned that his maternal grandparents had continued to secretly practice polygamy for more than a decade after the church publicly ended the practice (it was not fully renounced until 1904). In 1988, Hofmann told the Board of Pardons that he thought planting the bomb that killed Kathy Sheets was "almost a game at the time I made the bomb, my thoughts were that it didn't matter if it was Mrs. "[14]:254 Robert Lindsey has also suggested that Hofmann "stimulated a burst of historical inquiry regarding Joseph Smith's youthful enthusiasm for magic [that] did not wither after his conviction". Repeatedly when he was asked about the document, Hinckley answered: ", "Gordon B. Hinckley, the second counselor in the First Presidency, largely handled policy in these matters and directed the. Here you have a nice plea bargain. The forgery was a letter complete with an 1828, For instance, Hofmann paid US$22,500 for a first edition of, There actually were two surviving collections of McLellin papers, neither of which Hofmann knew of. Mark Hoffman told himself what he was about to do was for their good. One was discovered by a Salt Lake City reporter shortly after Hofmann was injured by his own bomb. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. He served as a historical researcher for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Done with this blog. The updates include a new intake area and transportation building, plus a facility to house up to 12 K-9s. You also called a woman who has called herself a black woman a dual race which isnt a thing., Dual heritage: the fact of having parents from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. And there, in the science aisle, was a chemistry set. Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. [1][2][3][4] When his schemes began to unravel, he constructed bombs to murder three people in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hofmann took his family to stay with his parents that night, telling them it was for their safety because a business associate of his had been killed. (And while youre on Netflix, you can also stream American Murder: The Family Next Door. [5]:6669 Zoology professor Barry Fell soon after claimed to have decoded the text. Mark Hofmann: Forger and Killer - Forensic Files Now But in the letter, he traces his interest in deception back to his childhood. You are racist. Utah Department of CorrectionsMark Hofmanns prison record. The forgiveness story missing from Netflix's 'Murder Among the Mormons Three letters purportedly written from an Illinois prison by Smith used different ink, paper, and writing instruments. Hofmann's crimes are fictionalized in the episode "The Saint", Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2004). [29][9]:491,52123 Utah has an indeterminate sentencing scheme. The four-page, handwritten letter titled, A Summary of My Crimes, provides a chilling glimpse into what led Hofmann to fake hundreds of historical documents and kill two people with homemade bombs. The church acquired several documents from Hofmann. Prison sentences have a minimum and maximum time frame; offenders must serve their entire sentence unless the Utah Board of Pardons opts to grant them parole sooner. Mormon document forger and bomber Mark Hofmann is no longer serving a lifetime prison sentence from a maximum-security prison cell. The five-years-to-life sentence was the minimum possible under Utah sentencing guidelines of the time; changes to sentencing guidelines have since increased the minimum sentence for murder to 15 years to life. Dr. Mark C. Hoffman is a Family Medicine Doctor in Poulsbo, WA. I believe that I was trying to convince myself of the worthlessness of life and of lifes unfairness, Hofmann wrote. I remember on the night before the first two bombings going into my childrens bed rooms (sic) and kissing them while they slept telling myself that my plot was for their best good. The Monroe unit, which includes the 192-bed Ironwood housing unit, adds a new intake and transportation building and a dog kennel for up to 12 K9s, the DOC wrote. At the time, Hofmann was a well-known figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he would soon become known to a much wider audience as a murderer in the Mormon church. Eventually, though, they zeroed in on the apparent motive: a tangled web of lies and debts, forgeries and frauds, that had made Hofmann feel backed into a corner, stalling for time. He forged a blessing Joseph Smith purportedly gave to his son Joseph SmithIII designating him as his fathers successor. The third victim, injured but still alive, was Mark Hofmann, a man unknown to most Salt Lakers but a minor celebrity among Latter-day Saint historians and collectors. He was born and raised by two incredibly faithful and conservative Mormons, William and Lucille Hofmann. By age 24, his interest had shifted from U.S. coins to old Mormon money, which along with his coin collection he sold a year later and decided to forge for a living. Thanks again for writing I appreciate anything that heightens my awareness. The bomb that killed Christensen was to take the pressure off two fraud schemes he had involved Christensen in, he wrote. "I had to learn how to accept and love myself enough to keep a boundary, rather than shrinking in fear of authoritarian dictates, or passively going along with situations in which I saw no choice," she says. She does recall, however, a chilling moment when his sister asked: "Why do you want to marry him? Dates 1984 Creator Hofmann, Mark (Person) Conditions Governing Access Detective Lieutenant Mark Hoffman is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist of the Saw franchise.He is portrayed by Australian actor Costas Mandylor.While the character was first shown as a police officer in Saw III, later films in the series have expanded his role and revealed him to be an apprentice, and subsequently the successor of the Jigsaw Killer. I told myself that my survival and that of my family was the most important thing. She felt largely alone, rejected by many, including her in-laws and some of her own family members. He delighted in traveling around the world to collect rare copies of children's books, but he made a living as a seller of historical documents. "I always liked Dorie. But the case was so complicated the district attorneys office, for the first time ever, had to use a computer to keep track of the information. After completing two years at Dixie in St. George, in fall 1978, Olds went to study nutrition at Utah State University, where Mark Hofmann lived in an apartment above hers. For years, it turned out, Hofmann had been producing phony signatures and documents and photos and coins, successfully convincing handwriting experts and forgery detection machines that all of it was authentic. Flimflam nonfiction. Where is Mark Hofmann's Ex-Wife Now? - The Cinemaholic Here are seven facts from the series, which was co-produced by Joe Berlinger (Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich): 1. A scramble to acquire the document occurred, and Hofmann, posing as a faithful Mormon, presented it to his church in exchange for items worth more than $20,000. Mark Hofmann: 7 Fast Facts - Forensic Files Now What the examiners noticed first, after putting his documents under ultraviolet light, was a blue hazing effect and ink that ran in one direction. [23]:13234, Despite the considerable amounts of money Hofmann had made from document sales, he was deeply in debt, in part because of his increasingly lavish lifestyle and his purchases of genuine first-edition books. [5]:377 Hofmann also forged a previously unknown poem in the hand of Emily Dickinson. Read our. He also forged an 1830 letter from Martin Harris known as the Salamander Letter which described Joseph Smith being involved in folk magic. [c] [5] : 58 Dorie Olds Hofmann filed for divorce in 1987, two years after Hofmann's crimes came to light, and became co-founder of a holistic medicine company. Stay-at-home mom, who baked bread and quilted. Rebecca: I should think so! I am currently working as a children's book author/illustrator, editorial illustrator, and fine artist. 'Murder Among the Mormons' review: Forgery scandal turns fatal on ), Thats all for this week. In a forged cover letter, purportedly written by Thomas Bullock and dated January 27, 1865, Bullock chastises Young for having all copies of the blessing destroyed. NU47OE000105 (HOFFMAN, MARK A.) Her LDS stake president refused to shake her hand, she says, and her kids were mocked for having a dad in jail. The one-page Oath had been printed in 1639, the first document to be printed in Britain's American colonies, but only about fifty copies had been made, and none of them were extant. "[19]:130, No one is certain how many forged documents Hofmann created during the early 1980s, but they included a letter from Smith's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, describing the origin of the Book of Mormon;[k] letters from Martin Harris and David Whitmer, two of the Three Witnesses, each giving a personal account of their visions;[5]:95,97 a contract between Smith and Egbert Bratt Grandin for the printing of the first edition of the Book of Mormon; and two pages of the original Book of Mormon manuscript taken in dictation from Smith to Oliver Cowdery. Now, Olds says, her fellow Latter-day Saints treat her like a "rock star.". His current research focuses on the use of a large, de-identified, data set of electronic health record information for digital phenotyping. Perhaps that is what he wanted to do and to get rich at the same time.". Youre so perpetually awful that I avoid reading comments on this very well written blog because I know you will always be at the top. But in the letter, Hofmann wrote that he intended to kill himself. After Mark Hofmann married Doralee Dorie Olds on September 14, 1979, whom he first met while attending the Utah State University, they began a life together. "He would save me from my family. Mark Hofmann, a reputed trader of documents and artifacts within the church, turned out to be the one whod planted the bombs in an attempt to hide his forgeries. Supposedly written by Martin Harris to W. W. Phelps, the letter presented a version of the recovery of the gold plates that contrasted markedly with the church-sanctioned version of events. The first two bombs killed two people on October 15, 1985. A life sentence After Hofmann pleaded guilty to the crimes in January 1987, Olds was left with four children ages 5 and under a third daughter was born between the bombings and sentencing and a million dollars of debt. The second bomb exploded about 90 minutes later, killing Holladay housewife Kathy Sheets when she picked up a package in front of her home. Toll records showed Hofmann placed several calls to Hinckley's office from his car telephone during the week before the bombings. Good luck to you RR. He was revived, but not before spending twelve hours lying on his right arm and blocking its circulation, thus causing muscle atrophy. One CAN criticize people who arent white without being racist, but youre demonstrating to everyone that is not what you are doing. Disagreement without tantrum and cancellation is what intelligent society does. Investigators also began constructing a timeline, posting pieces of information on the blank walls of a war room. At first they couldnt figure out how the stuff on one wall related to stuff on another wall, remembers prosecutor Bob Stott. [o][5]:24954, In an effort to buy more time, Hofmann began constructing bombs. But Hinckley spoke of Hofmann as if he barely recognized his name. According to the Ostlings, "The church publicized some of the acquisitions; it orchestrated public relations for some that were known to be sensitive; others it acquired secretly and suppressed."[g][14]. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. I exuded in impressing other collectors and dealers with my rare coins, he wrote. "Why you of all people?" Pioneer ancestors. Dr. Hoffman serves as the Chief Research Information officer for Children's Mercy Hospital (CMH) and the Children's Research Institute. Bomber Mark Hofmann no longer a max-security inmate at Utah State What if Olds had questioned her husband about his suspicious dealings? He had recently broken his engagement, and the two became friends. In True Crime Series 'Murder Among the Mormons,' LDS Church Reckons In 1988, Olds filed for and was granted a divorce. The kind of argument, indeed, that you say above you dont like. Pramedics rush a injured Mark Hofmann to an ambulance after a bomb shredded his car in downtown Salt Lake City. [e][f] According to Richard and Joan Ostling, Hofmann was by this time a "closet apostate" motivated not only by greed but also by "the desire to embarrass the church by undermining church history". At first it seemed that someone was targeting employees of the beleaguered CFS Financial Corp., because Sheets husband, Gary, was CFSs president, and Christensen was formerly one of the companys vice presidents. Mark W. Hofmann and his family are pictured in this undated family photo. Mrs Ms mother is black, her father white, hence she is dual heritage, which is not a term of abuse nor incorrect, regardless of whether the subject describes themselves as black or white (or biracial). The second bomb intended for Gary Sheets that his wife, Kathleen Sheets, picked up instead was a pure diversion.. On one side was Terri Christensen, widow of the businessman, who was murdered Oct. 15, 1985. For a time, she grew her own food and tried her hand at selling magnetic beds. She felt she received a divine message: "It will be all right.". Dean Jessee, an editor of Smith's papers and the best-known expert on handwriting and old documents in the Historical Department of the LDS Church, concluded that the document was a Smith holograph. There was at least one polygamist in the family Marks grandfather. Today, Hofmann is serving a life sentence in prison in Utah. "[14]:252 After Hofmann's exposure, the LDS Church tried to correct the record, but the "public relations damage as well as the forgery losses meant the church was also a Hofmann victim. [5]:6869 Appraised by the LDS Church for US$25,000, it was purchased on October 13 in exchange for several artifacts the church owned in duplicate, including a $5 gold Mormon coin, Deseret banknotes, and a first edition of the Book of Mormon. Mark Hofmann Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? | Heavy.com Many of Hofmanns forgeries focused on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which he was a member but had stopped believing as a teenager.