Show (S MfWyitignTgrViIIM The Salt Lake Tribune 24 January Saturday — 1 AJJ 9H7 jvj Here Is Text of Hofmann’s Fleas to Charges Continued From cases and CR86-4- CK86-83- 4 A-- l CR86-84- 0 CR86-84- 2 arid will not charge the with any new related of- fenses as of the date of his entry of 4 plea —Pool Photo Judge Kenneth Rigtrup sentenced Mark Hofmann for two ’85 murders as many members of victims’ families watched 7 The County Attorney's Office will specifically not oppose at the time of sentencing a defense motion Utah Code An- pursuant to notated (1953 as amended) to reduce Count III of case number CR86-83to the next lowest category of offense a Second Degree Felony pursuant to the Court's authority 8 The defendant as a sign of his commitment to this agreement will communicate the circumstances of four charged offenses to be selected by the prosecution attorneys to his 4W Hofmann’s Forgeries Are Likely to Have Lasting Impact on LDS History Pi lv'' ft if cuting attorneys feel the defejiitanf has not fulfilled this part of the plea agreement said prosecuting neys will be free to make any recoiP“ mendation to the Board of Parian they feel is necessary and consist with the ends of justice Counsel for prosecution and couts sel for defense upon signing thi? agreement hereby stipulate agree that upon executing this agfeg ment that the sole remedy for IJspiif forcemeat is the specific pefifoK mane of its terms The contents of this agreemt$! to remain confidential until of plea on the 22rd day of Jariii&iC defendant's sentencing and commit- ment to the Utah State Prison he will meet with the prosecuting attorneys and answer truthfully and complete- ly all questions said attorneys may have on any or all of the charged of- fenses in case numbers CR86-83- attorney Ronald JYengich who will relay tia information to the prose- cuting attorneys Said information is not ° used n any subsequent pros- eeution of the defendant If the prose- cuting attorneys are satisfied with he information provided by the de- fendant to the four selected charges the prosecution will not request of the trial judge at the time of sentencing consecutive prison time on the four guilty pleas described above and will not object to concurrent sentences on al1 f°ur counts However it is under- stood the County Attorney will ask thata prison commitment be lm- P°s®“ f301 ° lhet fouJ charges Pled t° Defendant s entry plea is to be set for January 23 1987 9 That within thirty (30) days of the attor-defenda- 4 CR86-83- CR86-84- 8 CRB6-84- CR86- 2 - and the surrounding circum- stances of those offenses and any oth- er related activities 1 thc prosccut iniz attorneys are satisfied with the defendant's respotlses t0 a quPStjons and believe lhe dcfendant has been totally forthright and honest said attorneys wjl represent that concusjon to the Board of Pardons of the State of Utah and make no reeommenda- tion If on the other hand the prose 844 - the-eM- I987- ’s'Z'Z Said agreement is entered into tit i day of January 1987 7 ikSS 3 '' ' if i f iftft V-- ft!'® i” By Dawn Tracy Tribune Staff Writer Mormon historians admit lay members don’t know much about the new church history they’re writing Mark W Hofmann’s confession to forging Mormon documents that impacted revisionist history assures the disparity will widen even more For as long as Mormons can remember they've been taught an uncomplicated story of their church founder talking with God In no way was Joseph Smith involved in digging for buried treasure using divining rods or manipulating “peep” stones to find money Plural wives simultaneously married to other men different accounts of Smith’s first vision and an evolution of doctrine were subjects for not the faithful But Hofmanri's documents pulled devout Mormon historians into an overlooked realm The may have altered forever the time when Mormons only had to believe Ron Bittori associate editor of an independent Mormon magazine said Hofmann’s document dealings will weaken revisionist history that examines Mormonism from an analytical point of view Sun-sto- Traditional history where angels are as real as the early Mormon leaders has been strengthened since Hofmann’s confession With traditional history questions can be answered through feelings prompted by God On the other hand revisionist history is a secular approach to the past It looks at divine revelations as a perceived factor than can be studied from the outside How folk magic figured into the life of the Mormon I prophet is an element of the new history “Because revisionist church history has depended on revelations included in documents that now appear Uo be forged it has to some extent been weakened” said Mr Bitton “By no means will the new history go V away" historian Michael Quinn said Hofmann's documents never revealed anything earth shattering They simply collaborated secondary sources that were there all the time “Revisionist history had its mo ment in the sun when documents ap peared right and left’ said Mr Bitton “It has momentarily lost its credibil iiy with the loss of the credibility of those documents” “I'm glad the salamander letter is a forgery it made Joseph Smith look like he was crazy and his vision from God wasn’t true” said Launi a lifelong Mormon "I’ve read and watched this whole thing I had a feeling Hofmann was guilty all along” Mormon Law-renen- Sandra Tanner an evangelical Mormon critic who was one of the first to question Hofmann's document dealings said Hofmann affected church history because the controversial documents created a climate in which Mormon historians felt obligated to take a second look at church history "Most history books written in the last five years contain some references to Hofmann’s documents This now has thrown into the realm of church history" said Mrs Tanner “In the future it will raise a credibility gap The tendency will be to dismiss all controversial documents as frauds" The most damage Hofmann has caused historians has been the destruction of trust according to Linda Newell of Dialogue an independent Mormon journal “Before this no one suspected someone out there was doing what Mark did" she said “People trusted each other they trusted Mark and he used everyone Yet the documents he sold may not affect Mormon history in a major way “Historians traditionally are careful to place things in a broad context” said Mrs Newell “That carefulness prevented Mark’s work from being used as 8 sole source to explain an event Still it will take a long time to undue what he did and to rebuild confidence" Mrs wait-and-s- of a Alan Roberts book on Hofmann said public attitudes will depend on whether Hofmann confesses everything as prosecutors say he will and on how long the confessed murderer spends in prison "Most people feel his crimes are enormous He created widows wid- owers orphans devastated members in his own family and many many victims in the investment community" said Mr Roberts “If you believe the police explanation the bargain is as good as a trial would have been They've gotten a conviction a life sentence and a commitment from Hofmann to tell everything he can about his career The police may not have gotten that out of a trial ” Retired federal worker C O Rowe said the plea bargain will divide the community in a way that's especially divisive: Mormon against “There's T lot of speculation that ' ill ‘ISP! ss§ f Plea Agreement State CP86-84- v 2 CR86-B- nos Case Hofmann CK8H-H- CP8 34 b 6 C I0 6- -8 -840 44 Page Four rr f not Sifts free tu f® Ml® pardons they feel it® the plea of fulfilled this part m'ik i r justice ft executing this agree is the spec I t that i this content of until the entry plea Said agreement 1 d t i couns rm‘ t a ( agreement ?2rd the on is : e 1 ff its ne r f nr ina non n !' phe m nen P v- ' n l stipulate hereby agreement signing this e ' c with the ends nrisPnt and for prosecution Counsel ij t t v i tf ircomi ’ ca fin-im-n- Mn t ha- into entered ' ' MU t t t j) n tu s (I Ift S i o o L f t ah '! f: is o ' t V hsy 1987 'or t ho t 'f r y r LV i of “Mor- Newell Enigma: Emma Hale Smith" a book on Smith’s wife said mon she herself was careful not to rely on Hofmann’s documents In one instance however Mrs Newell cut an ' SRft Sftft Sftr ftftft fttlft son mmm “Broader sources show there indeed was a blessing” said Mrs Newell “We don’t know exactly what the blessing contains but the fact that one document may be a forgery doesn't change our minds that other credible sources show such a blessing oc- curred” Perhaps one aftermath of Hofmann’s documents dealings is a tightening of church policies at the LDS Church archives In December church authorities closed church president’s papers from Brigham Young on to all researchers Authorities say the collections were closed so that workers can catalog the papers “No institution can pursue indefinitely a position that in the long-ruis indefensible” said Mrs Newell “The closing is temporary” n the LDS Church didn't wish any of its leaders on the witness stand giving details of document transactions" said Mr Rowe a Mormon and native Utahn “The community is bound to be split over the issue of influence The repercussions will be long lasting” Attorney Paul Toscano a friend of bombing victim Steven Christensen said there is as much value in getting the full truth for the community as there would have been if Hofmann were given the maximum punishment for the crimes “Steve's life was worth more because he valued life more It makes me angry that the man who has admitted such a flagrant disregard for the value of human life goes on living while Steve who so valued human life is dead” he said “But I'm willing to live with that imbalance if the truth will come out" The Rev Bradley F Skinner a minister for the United Church of Christ said there seems something peculiar about the plea bargain that so far leaves many unanswered questions “I can only wonder if other persons or institutions are being protected” said the Rev Mr Skinner "But it's good that the episode is over and done with At this point I have only sympathy for the families" 5 ss-- - W I entire section dealing with Smith blessing his son to lead the church Instead she cited a document that experts now say Hofmann forged to show that Smith had blessed his son to head the church Most Mormons believe God chose Brigham Young to lead the church after the prophet's death not Smith’s Community Has Mixed Emotions Over Hofmann Plea Agreement By Dawn Tracy Tribune Staff Writer The Salt Lake community exhibited mixed emotions and took a attitude over the plea bargain that may have spared Mark Hofmann his life according to an outside expert who has followed the document forgeries and murders ® US i Final page of Mark Hofmann’s plea bears signatures of principals Handwritten dates are inconsistent with Fri day's date of agreement Document mav have been pared two weeks ago as suggested by the seraw b’ri in pre- “7' Ilohiiaiin Case Was File Willi Unanswered Ouolimi Plea Bargain? Many Police Agree By Mike Carter Tribune Staff Writer A recent conversation with a detective who has spent 15 months investigating the Mark W Hofmann bombings elicited a surprising reaction when asked about rumors of a plea bargain "I told them to plead it a year ago” he said A seemingly unusual remark from a police officer who has spent thousands of hours investigating the Oct 15 1985 murders of Steven F Christensen and Kathleen Sheets It could be expected that those investigators would like to see it go to trial Most of them believed that Hofmann was guilty almost from day one And most of them believed that he should be sentenced to death for his crimes But police officers are pragmatists They have worked with the system long enough to know that only months after Hofmann had been charged there was a distinct possibility the case would nev er be tried The reasons varied depending on the source Some officers said the expense of a two- - or three-monttrial would be so prohibitive a plea bargain was inevitable Others said that Hofmann with no prior criminal history was an unlikely candidate for the death penalty Thus it would be a waste of time to take him to trial when the same results could be reached through a deal All suppositions aside however attorneys running the case decided to enter into "plea negotiations” — legalese for plea bargain — because they believed answers were more important than vengeance And the Hofmann case was rife with unanswered questions The obvious ones concern the bomb that detonated in Hofmann's car the day after the homicides and the questioned authenticity of the historically significant documents sold by Hofmann since 1980 Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney Robert Stott promised that those questions will be an swered at least to the satisfaction of police and prosecutors He admits however that the public and media may not get all the answers they want A plea bargain brings with it some advantages over a trial Prosecutors want Hofmann to admit to the charges rather than having the state present evidence in court to convict him Hofmann would be under no obligation to take the stand in his defense at trial In a plea he is forced " publicly acknowledge his guilt 'VThey believe Hofmann's statements will h$e a 1 ba-ga- fast a If Was Best 'irs Utmlssi tin ' i :!i fnd:iv death pcnol'v isajpn mrv wouid he fm t In sentence i in 0 lit-pi ls"l) Ind h the senli-n'-ilus Pu li v plea receiw ell w I'ii sntoe oil' doe- - mu This reasor-ir-Cluis Salt Take eiintv Shend Pete H IVwarJ vocal in his I diet the eases should have been me-d and Hotniinn should hu e taced the pi ssibili! s u nr the death per: y it only secna-IP- nnini-M-two i:i cold (hood pi other police of peers meludipa thus themselves to plea bmgain mirt'!p apo the same prime Wnlou- s a ! 111 i much ard significance pirtu ul'ii h Itan ao evi the alleg-sllfoiged documenls dence th- stale could pres- m Most important said Mr Stoll is thnl Mr 11 t mann be held accountable for the rnutders id Mr Christensen and Mrs Sheets They were virion and cowardly killings and Hetmann should be pun gri-ale- cant M-s- - tha" oi'ilf one 1mkiliei Kminkbn rni! put Joseph stupor and rourdot-murderer Arthm Piiv Hmh-iroe (do drci Ip de’ h row high-p- coincidence that pleas enieiod in charges involved the Muiin Hams 'W hde Salamander'' letter and tle M Collection The Marlin Harris letter m particular has been pointed to by church mites as ques' inning (he It is no ehiiri stu-nl- tin- version of its prophet and In Ptoseciitors were confident despite contrary rumors that they could convict Hofmann by inn! But conviction would come alter a prolonged and difficult series of motions some o) who I if ruled in favor of the defensi could hams'i mg portions of the case And the only reason the I'nisecntum would take the case to trial would be o net only convict which can occur through the plea hat gam - but to seek the death penally And almost ewryom-agreethat despite their pet son ul feelmus on Hofmann was mu a lift-icanilnlate fm death row He is a family man well n tore ol violent l none His murders it could stemmed ‘'g:i' ftom einotiiiiiil or mental disf - rasulgug It s s -- Ml of 0i so documents empolinuin-stancewould lend to mitigate Pk of his crimes Prosecutors do not believe t itiiei ihal Hofmann nt murders is particularly dangerous The circumstances leading up o iIom- trinies do iku would be difficult to repeal Tlu Ihal he would kill again if released inmi ppson - O'! Ihev do But more important prosen net believe they could commit ii um Inn no-- a his s de-pi- y o- i " P "i P-- 1 Ik- r n 0 SU!'ci’--tIS a) gllat'lv ulm fi M'e An! he n - lorn n b icl o mg Ut o h asbat cam pb iit f mil dci'ismo sn muen n is iTio o n m Tie re avs ' ep HobiliO’r case tha! (hi J )' 'hire' 'oi- o in ell a pili’-dll cl - g 'he nvesfo ji tmn or MtppK-somrloeuna-'iiw s m There is iio don!'! tvt ih- pifl 1 a aw are ei the t xtent uf iu'gs u u the churrh and the true eicrd of ''use de-junknow n T'lu’ do ren iwt year r eh' is u 1st of 411 document it h part ! i'-H- -- - i d Pit I - ii- t m-'i-- ia-al-- -i i i In-- v i - : 1 lb1 ertainlv with Presi-once He derjp oiin-- h i i's acce" t r 1 rhtu lets k'r He vis ed than m-'i- pass to the hen h - evece'o c in m g lo' doe trot to gi a h hicr tsorii Pg'i Pi’o'ook now arien-s-tho Kll t Qni rum el Pe Set ' i’l was enoiiiC g I not loti t ofdain an un-- i curt d Pii loon ln-stale Hans t) pimr e the hi elim t'olii t Inn a : i S ! it is no coirii i h r e tht icgu erStcf t s u d ihu his fro nd Sii menu Kivn vm Rust - went to the t in el foie they wen to the polu e alter the !ioniiii(s lb mann dn pts (I a or h't of name h g her gi in Hs as-i- n it no with cloomh h ader m- i hut h a first I IT pr t - aa lence hor 0 les ulm iiiii'in-Iii“ n i I I'a mann l 1 w re-u- i I r s- I oi-- |