SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, USA – OCTOBER 15, 1985 In October 1985, a series of bombings exposed one of the biggest frauds involving historical documents in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On October 15, 1985, a package bomb exploded in front of the office of 31-year-old Steven Christensen. Christensen, a businessman, former LDS Church bishop, and collector of historical documents, died at the scene. He had been doing business with Mark Hofmann involving allegedly rare documents that Hofmann had failed to deliver.

: Steven Christensen

: Mark Hofmann

Several hours later, another bomb exploded at the home of J. Gary Sheets. The bomb was addressed to him, but it killed his 50-year-old wife, Kathleen Sheets. Hofmann subsequently attempted to create the impression that Christensen’s business activities were behind the attacks.

The following day, a third bomb exploded in Hofmann’s car in downtown Salt Lake City. Hofmann, then 30, suffered serious injuries. Police soon discovered that he could be behind the earlier attacks. Hofmann later stated that he detonated the third bomb as an attempted suicide.

Hofmann was actually under pressure because of an extensive fraud. For several years, he had been selling authentic, altered, and completely forged historical documents, including materials related to the early history of the LDS Church. When there was a risk that his forgeries would be exposed, investigators determined that he began eliminating people who could expose his fraud.

In January 1987, Hofmann confessed to the murders of Steven Christensen and Kathleen Sheets and to fraud. He received a sentence of five years to life in prison and remained incarcerated.

MORE PHOTOS OF STEVEN:

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Steven Christensen killed by package bomb

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