What was Shannon Flynn and Mark Hofmann’s relationship?
Flynn met Hofmann in a bookstore and they quickly became close friends. Hofmann was, unfortunately for Flynn, a forger. Hofmann forged and attempted to sell what became known as “The Salamander Letter,” which challenged the entire basis of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. The letter alleged that Mormon church founder Joseph Smith was led not by an angel named Moroni to write what would become The Book of Mormon, but by a white salamander that turned into a spirit. Hofmann also forged and sold a number of other falsified documents, including some that alleged that Smith appointed his son, not Brigham Young, to be his successor in leading the Mormon church.
Shannon Flynn was investigated after the bombings
After Hofmann was under suspicion of falsifying his records about the Mormon church (which he’d sold for tens of thousands of dollars), a series of bombings occurred in the Mormon community in Salt Lake City. Police investigations revealed that Hofmann, who posed as a victim of the bombings—which left Steve Christensen and Kathy Sheets killed—was actually the bomber. Because of Flynn’s relationship with Hofmann, as well as his own legitimate document sales, Flynn’s home was raided and he was investigated for his connection with the crimes. When police searched Flynn’s home, they found an Uzi gun which was illegally modified to be completely automatic. Flynn was charged with possession of an illegal firearm. However, Flynn agreed to a lie detector test about Hofmann’s case, which he passed. Flynn was then cleared of any connection with the bombings.
Where is Shannon Flynn now?
According to The Deseret News, Flynn lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where he runs a parking lot maintenance business.
Shannon Flynn wrote a book about Mark Hofmann
In Shannon Flynn: Inside Look at Mark Hofmann, Flynn describes how Hofmann was able to pass lie detector tests and deceive almost everyone around him.
Are Shannon Flynn and Mark Hofmann still friends?
Hofmann is serving a life sentence in Central Utah Correctional Facility after being transferred from a maximum-security cellblock of Utah State Prison some years prior. Flynn admitted to visiting Hofmann several times “for a short period of time” in Utah State Prison in 1991. “My point there was just to be friendly, be a nice a person, give him somebody to talk to and see what I could find out,” Flynn said, adding that he took notes after their conversations to try to piece together exactly what happened leading up to and around the bombings. Flynn maintains, however, that Hofmann was “fantastic,” but not in a positive way, explaining, “No one has come close to doing what he has done. The depth of knowledge and understanding and his autodidactic ability is unprecedented. His ability to deceive, unparalleled.” Adding that Hofmann has “no conscience,” Flynn fumed, “He is of no value. The world does not need him. Even if he could contribute something, we don’t need him. He needs to spend the rest of his life in jail.” Next, check out the best true crime podcasts!
