On Oct. 15, 1985, two bomb explosions took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, costing the lives of Steve Christensen and Kathy Sheets, both prominent members of the Mormon community.
A day later, another incident occurred. The authorities quickly learned that the last detonation was accidental — making Mark Hofmann, the only person injured, the main suspect behind the killings. An investigation was launched against his friend, Shannon Flynn, as well. So, was Flynn involved? Where is he now?
‘Murder Among the Mormons’ sheds new light on Hofmann’s twisted friendship with Flynn.
Murder Among the Mormons, the three-part Netflix documentary series sheds new light on the curious tale of Hofmann, a forger-turned-serial killer who successfully deceived the leading members of the Mormon community.
Previously described as a closet apostate, Hofmann is thought to have become disillusioned with the teachings of the church in his teenage years. A highly skilled forger, he created fraudulent documents like the salamander letter.
His incredible knowledge and vast collection quickly earned him renown in the local community of collectors — including Flynn. The two became close friends, or so Flynn thought.
“It turns out, Mark set off all of those bombs, but of course we couldn’t have believed that. For us, there was still somebody out there. Mark’s deception plan was working initially, until he blew himself up,” Flynn explained in an interview with Gospel Tangents.
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“The focus shifted to Mark within an hour of that bomb going off in his car,” Flynn claimed. “Since those bombs have been going off, the BATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] has been calling.”
As Flynn went on to claim in the interview, he still has the wristband Hofmann was given at the [LDS Hospital] where he spent about a week following the incident.
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During his time as a forger, Hofmann created the replicas of sought-after, potentially epoch-making documents like the Anthon Transcript or the salamander letter, a fake that went against the core tenets of Mormonism.
According to Men’s Health, he and Flynn likely maintained close contact throughout his most successful period — and Hofmann might have even shown Flynn the salamander letter before sharing his “discoveries” with the general public.
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Source : https://www.distractify.com/p/where-is-shannon-flynn-now