'Murder Among the Mormons': Release date, plot, trailer, and all you need to know about Netflix true-crime docu-series
Netflix continues its love affair with the true-crime genre by kicking off the month of March with 'Murder Among the Mormons,' which chronicles one of the most notorious forgers in modern history, Mark Hofmann. It charts the array of bombings that followed "high-stakes exploits turn deadly -- and shake a global church to its core -- in its extraordinary true crime story," reads Netflix's description of the limited docuseries.
If you did not already know, Hofmann is best known for the various forged documents and artifacts that he sold to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a.k.a., the Mormon Church. The tale goes back to 1980 with his forgery of the “Anthon transcript,” a page of “reformed Egyptian” writings that, according to Mormon Church teachings, Joseph Smith Jr. had transcribed from golden tablets and used as the basis for the Book of Mormon.
Hoffman also sold other controversial forged documents later. But the series does not solely focus on the handwriting expert but also Utah culture and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Release date
'Murders Among the Mormons' will be available to stream on Netflix on March 3.
Plot
On the morning of Oct. 15, 1985, a homemade bomb went off at the Judge Building in downtown Salt Lake City and killed financial consultant Steve Christensen, who collected historical documents. A short time later, a second bomb went off in Holladay, killing Kathy Sheets, the wife of Christensen’s former boss. A day later, a bomb went off in a car parked in downtown Salt Lake City, seriously injuring document dealer Mark Hofmann. The series of explosions set off an investigation that lasted more than a year.
The docu-series showcases the journey to uncover the truth behind the bombings.
Synopsis
"Murder Among the Mormons is the first comprehensive look at one of the most shocking crimes to have ever taken place among the Mormon community and the criminal mastermind behind it all.The three-part documentary series... examines a trio of bombings in 1985 that killed two people and shocked Salt Lake City. The murders send further shockwaves through the community when a trove of early Mormon letters and diaries are found destroyed in the vehicle of the third victim, a renowned collector of rare documents, including the infamous White Salamander Letter — an artifact whose contents threatened to shake the very foundations of Mormonism. As he fights for his life, investigators race to uncover the truth," the synopsis reads.
Director
The series is directed by Jared Hess, who is credited with making comedies including 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 'Nacho Libre,' and 'Masterminds' and Tyler Measom, who is famous for directing 'An Honest Liar.' "This story, even now, still makes a lot of people uncomfortable,” filmmaker Hess said. “And it’s because they don’t really know what occurred. They assume that some bad things occurred, possibly as it relates to their faith, but they don’t really know.”
Trailer
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