We've been watching a series of Netflix true crime documentaries recently, but of the ones we've watched "Murder Among the Mormons" is the first one with a case that I knew nothing at all about before starting. Though this was interesting, and the story is told in quite a logical way, I came away with more questions and theories about the antagonist than the show provides.
Mark Hofmann is an historical documents dealer with a knack for finding rare items that has made him a wealthy man. His location in Salt Lake City makes him a prime dealer for working with the Mormon church and his location of the "Salamander Letter" has made him a big if controversial name in those circles. Just days before he's due to provide a big haul of letters and documents for verification, a series of bombs explode, killing authenticator Steven Christensen and Kathy Sheets, seriously injuring Hofmann and destroying the cachet.
I'm going to write the rest of the review without spoiling who is behind the bombs, as going in I knew nothing about this case and I'd prefer you to have the same experience, if you can. There are some interesting characters in this doc from the worlds of law enforcement, document dealing and the Mormon church, none more so than Shannon Flynn, whose voice and mannerism are quite the most memorable aspect of the series. The documentary is quite well researched, with many interviews with key characters that are still with us and quite a bit of news footage from the time - though the little re-enactments that they do are played usually for laughs and I could have done without them.
Having finished it, though I understand the motivations for the crimes, I don't feel I understand why the killer escalated to murder so quickly when other options would have worked better. The historical interview that makes up much of the final episode gives the impression that the person is a sociopath and that eventually was going to kill someone when the pressures on them made it the preferable option, but that's my amateur interpretation. I'd have preferred some expert guidance on this from criminal psychiatrists.
Though I doubt it's going to live long in the memory, I was entertained enough by "Murder Among the Mormans" to finish it and though there's an interesting story here, I could have done with more indepth analysis of the murderer.
