‘Murder Among The Mormons’ Documentary Series Review
This true crime docuseries streamed in 2021.
Murder Among The Mormons is a three-part true crime documentary series produced by BBC Studios and released on Netflix. All three episodes are directed by Jared Hess and Tyler Measom.
In 1980, Mark Hofmann was a counterfeiter, forger, and convicted murderer. This documentary tells the story of how he set up a grand scheme to defraud the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by offering “collections” of documents purported to be written by associates of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. When these early schemes work out, Hofmann begins to procure more documents, including the infamous “Salamander” letter, which throws doubt on the history of how Joseph Smith founded the religion. As Hofmann’s documents come into doubt, he makes a desperate attempt to save himself, and that involves a deadly bombing.
Through interviews with law enforcement, Mormon leaders, family members, and even Hofmann’s wife, we get a glimpse into the crime. It was very interesting. The viewer gets pulled into a tale of a man desperate for cash, who decides to forge some historical documents, how he fooled so-called experts, and how it escalated to murder. It is a cautionary tale about how deception can slowly become complicated by greed, arrogance, and desperation. Victims Steven Christensen and Kathy Sheets were innocent people killed by a man’s greed. It is tragic.
The documentary definitely pulls into the investigation, the inner workings of the Mormon hierarchy, and how the bombing affected Utah. I found the interviews with Hofmann’s wife the most eye-opening. She provided insight into what was going with him behind-the-scenes. She claimed no knowledge of the crimes and I have no reason to doubt her.
Say what you want to about their poor choices in European cinema, Netflix does know how to pick up a good true crime documentary to pull you into their content. This one was no different and I found myself pulled in by the case.
Check out the trailer below:
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Disturbing content
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