Show Vol 233 No 102° Salt Lake City Utah-Satu- rday Morning-Janu- 24 ary 1987 Hofmann Imprisoned for Murders Plea Bargain Ends 26 Felony Counts Quiet Killer Begins Orientation By Mike Carter Tribune Staff Writer Mark W Hofmann pleaded guilty to the 1985 bombing murders of Steven Christensen and Kathleen Sheets Thursday and 3rd District Judge Kenneth Rigtrup said he would recommend that Hofmann spend the rest of his life in prison Hofmann clad in dark-blupinstripe suit with his hands clasped in front of him quietly $aid "yes” when Judge Rigtrup asked if he was changing his plea because in fact he had committed the crimes Judge Rigtrup told the packed courtroom — there were more than By George A Sorensen Tribune Staff Writer DRAPER — A grim-face- d Mark Hofmann traded a neatly-presse- d blue suit for a yellow trouand a pair of sers shortly after he arrived at Utah State Prison at 410 pm Friday Escorted by two Salt Lake deputy sheriffs to the main door of the prison Hofmann walked without comment past several television crews He was taken directly through the main sally port and up to B Block where he was placed in reception and orientation the same as two other prisoners who were received at the Point of the Mountain Friday Prison officials allowed newsmen to film and photograph Hofmann going through the sally port and the clanking of the barred doors behind d blue-deni- i members of thfe victims' families seated around the jury box that it was the "indiscriminate nature" of those killings for which the capital homicide statutes had been intended The judge noted that from his understanding of the evidence it is apparent that MrsJ Sheets was the "wrong victim" And he noted that a woman in Mr Christensen’s building very nearly became another unintentional victim of Hofmann's bomb "It is for those reasons that I will recommend that you spend the rest of your natural life at the Utah State Prison" he said after passing sen- escort The two deputies in his car Terry Welte and Ron Hunter said Hofmann didn't say a word during the drive from the jail and showed no emotion The escort car was driven by Deputy Mel Ballard tence David Franchina director of institutions said Hofmann will be treated the same as any other new inmate He will be held in reception and or- Hofmann Word-Tor-Wo- e Staff PholO by Paul f rauohton Mark W Hofmann enters Utah State Pris- on Friday for the bombing deaths of 2 Utahns Judge Kenneth Rigtrup said he’ll recommend that Hofmann stay for life is the text of the plea The defendant Mark W Hofmann will plead guilty to Counts I of and III in ease number CR86-83- 4 Second Degree Murder First Degree Felonies in the knowing and intentional murders of Steven F Christen sen and Kathleen Sheets in violation of Utah Code Annotated (1953 as amended) and in so doing acknowledge his responsibility for those two offenses 2 The defendant Mark W Hofmann wii! plead guilty in case numto Count VI as ber CR86-83charged Theft by Deception a Second Degree Felony 3 The defendant Mark W Hofmann will plead guilty in case numto Count VII as ber CR86-84charged Theft by Deception a Second Degree Felony 4 The New York authorities agree they will not prosecute the defendant for any alleged criminal conduct surrounding the “Oath of a Freeman" or any other matter related to the charged offenses in Utah (See attachment exhibit A) 5 The United States Attorney's Office in Salt Lake City Utah will agree to dismiss their federal case ol unlawful possession of an altered machine gun by the defendant Mark W Hofmann and will not charge the defendant with any matter related to the charged offenses in the five cases before the District Court for the pleas of guilty described above 6 The County Attorney's Office for Salt Lake County will dismiss all other charged offenses against defendant subsequent to his pleas of guilty described above This would be as to See A-- 9 Column 3 Dow Takes a Wild Ride Before Losing 44 Points Tribune Wire Services The stock market's unprecedented rally flew into one of the wildest days in Wall Street's Friday a day that saw the Dow Jones industrials soar 64 points and then whipsaw to one of the worst losses ever When the dust settled a 31)2 39 million shares had changed hands on the New York Stor k Exc hange shattering the previous high of 253 12 million set Jan 15 The Iww which jumped a record 51 60 points to a record high Thursday fell Friday 44 15 to 2101 52 The market as exemplified by the Dow Jones average of 30 industrial stocks began the day extending its rise min the stratosphere and ap peat ed rd()N 0 or ipso the recot d gams 'lined a cjv earlier - his-tor- v Ye' v e By Mike Carter Tribune Staff Writer During his last half hour ol freedom Mark Hofmann had a chance to reflect on the events that led him on that last walk to the 3rd District Courthouse In less than an hour he would be a confessed murderer "Obviously I feel sorry for what s happened" Hofmann told reporters and from Tin ‘ 2 who met him outside his attorney's otfice just before the hearing wouldn't like to "Other than that make any pubiic comment " He also expressed regret in a letter addressed to the families ol the vic- 4 The Salt Lake County Attorney s Office by and through Robert L Stott and David C Biggs do hereby stipulate and agree with counsel for the defendant Ronald J Yengich and Bradley P Rich and the defendant Mark W Hofmann to the following plea agreement and settlement of the above entitled eases' NEW YORK that of a second-degrefelony In exchange for the pleas the court dismissed 26 other felony charges lim kingly in I he final two hours of trading the Dow plummeted over 100 points from a gain of 60 points to a loss of 50 The convulsive market then erased that entire loss briefly moved back in the plus column and then tumbled wildly again just before the closing bell By closing Dow Jones industrials had plummeted more than 110 points fiotrt its high of the day to its low When you have the kind of run up we have had the corrective pitases don't happen passively" said Larry Waehtel market analyst at Prudential-Baclie Securities Inc "You live " by the sword You die by the sword 1063-56Losers pounded gainers among the 1993 issues crossing the New York Stock Exchange tape Much of the market's fn rzy was attributed lo "program trading" the 7'n'bj A-- 4 Column I KUTV-CItan-n- 1 tims Hofmann would not talk about the bombings or forgeries on the advice of defense attorney Hon Yengich The interview was rushed with Hofmann surrounded by his father Bill Hofmann Mr Yengich defense Brad Rich and two body- guards asked by Yengich to accompany them on that last walk Yengich said he had received a number of death threats in the days following the first news leaks about a plea bargain one-bloc- k - Pool Photo Terri Christensen listens as Mark Hofmann admits he killed her husband Steven and Kathleen Sheets with pipe bombs Inside The Tribune Tribune Telephone Numbers on 3 9 For: V Why Plea Bargain? LDS History The Investigation v0 History or Forgery? against Hofmann In addition federal charges involving illegal possession of a machine gun were dismissed by US Attorney Brent Ward and prosecutors in New York City investigating the involvement in the apparent "Oath of a forgery of the Freeman" will cease their activities The plea arrangement includes a promise by Hofmann to cooperate with authorities in the next 30 days through a series of interviews in which he will acknowledge that all of the documents he sold some which challenged history — were fakes Mr Stott said that information will be made public - "The plea arrangement is unique" said Deputy Salt Lake County Attoi-neRobert L Stott in a press conference following the court hearing “Frankly I’ve never been involved in a situation before where we have the opportunity to sit down with a convicted murderer and ask him qucs lions concerning schemes and plans and other crimes that lie did nol plead " to Mr Stott said he and David Biggs already interviewed Hofmann regarding the murders and thefts to which he entered guilt' picas and were satisfied that he acted alone "We have spoken to Mr Hofmann and he has given us the details concerning the hows and whys of the crimes he was charged with Mr Stott said "I can't go into panic See Column I face-to-fac- e ' A-- Lebanon - AP) - B-- Kidnap- pers forced two foreigners into a car at gunpoint Friday while Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite tried Irwin freedom for earlier kidnap victims Waite negotiated for a fourth day with captors of American hostages The Christian radio station Voice of Lebanon said American captives Terry A Anderson and Thomas Suth erland were expected to be turned over to Waite in east Lebanon's Be kaa Valley town ol Baalbek The report could not be vended The radio later said the captors were making "suffer demands" and lh Americans' release appeared to be in doubt It did not elaborate The radio account said Waite was meeting in Baalbek with representatives of Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad Shiite- Moslem two groups Hezbollah is the most militant Shiite group in Lebanon Islamic Jihad has claimed it kidnapped An derson and Sutherland pro-Irania- Salt Lake City and vicinity Cloudy with possible snuv Highs m the 30s Lows in the 20s I) tails Hovering around were the photogand reporters who ambushed them in the parking lot He was asked ahout his damaged leg — shattered when the pipe bomb exploded in his car 13 months ago -after Mr Yengich said he should be careful not to slip on the tee and delay 'his hearing It was a joke referring 10 a delay at the preliminary hearing last year when fell and broke his injured leg A last question as the group entered the 3rd District Court Building What did he think the effect of his sale of forged documents to the LDS Church would be He smiled ami I dim t dunk looked at the reporter has affected the church overly' he said and walked off Later Sait Lake City I’olicc Clnet Bud Willoughby said he hoped Hm people of Salt Lake City would not forget another set ol victims in Hm bombing tragedy - the family and friends of Mark W Hofmann "We shouldn't forget them Because they are people who didn't do any tiling wrong except exist in a community where t heir husband and then son and their dad went wrong raphers two-wee- k Hoi-tnan- ' 11 Beirut Kidnappers Get 2 More BEIRUT A-- 1 See A-- Hofmann: ‘I Feel Sorry For What’s Happened’ The Text of Hofmann Pleas Shows Legal System at Work Following agreement to two 8 Public Reaction degree Account rd guilty pleaded murder and counts of second-degretwo counts of felony theft by deception — including a charge alleging he forged the controversial Mormon “White Salamander" letter — and was sent forthwith to Utah State Prison The second theft charge stemmed from his sale of the "McLellin Collection” to Salt Lake City coin dealer Alvin Rust Second-degre- e murder is a first felony which carries an indeterminate prison sentence of from at the prison The theft felonies charges are second-degreand carry prison sentences of from years Part of the plea agreement was that Judge Rigtrup would reduce the sentence for the Sheets homicide to e ientation for approximately six weeks during which he will undergo diagnostic sessions A determination will be made as to where he will be housed — in minimum medium or maximum security Reception and orientation is in the medium security section of the prison Here he will have his picture and fingerprints taken undergo physical and psychological evaluations and be subjected to a background check Following the prison classification committees evaluation and placement Hofmann will exchange his yelfor a standard blue prison low shirt with five digits He will receive a mandatory parole hearing before the Utah State Board of Pardons in January 1988 - A-- 10 LDS Statement e 20 him He was taken to the prison in a sheriff’s car with a second one as an See The Voice of Lebanon the station President Amin Gemayel s rightist Phalange Party has made inaccurate reports on Moslem happenings in the past The station later reported receiving an anonymous telephone call from a man who claimed responsibil-t'for Finlay's abductions in the name "I pie Organization of the Op pressed dn Earth saying both victims of were )e- mans The gtoup is believed made up ui Shiite zetlots loyal to Iran In Hie past such claims telephoned to the Voice n Lebanon have fre the quently been denied Idler b groups in whose name they weie made Todas Chuckle Many men when they get thin on compensate In getting thick on tp no bottom Police said they had unconfirmed reports (hat the latest kidnap victim' also were West Germans who called on their emhassy in west Beirut mm ules before tfiev were abducted a' 9 3(1 am on Pavilion Street uoai Hamra the Moslem sectors com mercial district Witnesses said the victims protest ed to i heir abductors in a foreign Ian guage tun the Arable speaking i nesses were unsure whal language i' w as A perfume vendor who idem red himseli as Aim Khalil said to saw five men in a grav Mei codes car pull to a stop "Three gunmen leaped nut came to me and threatened to One slio-- me if I moved The of her two bundled ilio victims into the Mercedes and all " Ahu Khalil said sped away Mohammed an 11 year old lew walking for the vendor said II looK less than one minute One ol the m Urns eat led a bi lefease I I A V |