Shannon Flynn on His Old Friend Mark Hofmann: "The World Does Not Need Him"

On Oct. 15, 1985, two bomb explosions took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, costing the lives of Steve Christensen and Kathy Sheets, both prominent members of the Mormon community. 

A day later, another incident occurred. The authorities quickly learned that the last detonation was accidental — making Mark Hofmann, the only person injured, the main suspect behind the killings. An investigation was launched against his friend, Shannon Flynn, as well. So, was Flynn involved? Where is he now?

Flynn publicly denounced Hofmann after Hofmann pled guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of theft by deception in January 1987. 

"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," Flynn told Gospel Tangents. 

The book version of Flynn's interview series with Gospel Tangents, Shannon Flynn: Inside Look at Mark Hofmann, came out in 2017. 

Murder Among the Mormons, the three-part Netflix documentary series sheds new light on the curious tale of Hofmann, a forger-turned-serial killer who successfully deceived the leading members of the Mormon community. 

Previously described as a closet apostate, Hofmann is thought to have become disillusioned with the teachings of the church in his teenage years. A highly skilled forger, he created fraudulent documents like the salamander letter. 

His incredible knowledge and vast collection quickly earned him renown in the local community of collectors — including Flynn. The two became close friends, or so Flynn thought. 

"It turns out, Mark set off all of those bombs, but of course we couldn't have believed that. For us, there was still somebody out there. Mark's deception plan was working initially, until he blew himself up," Flynn explained in an interview with Gospel Tangents.

"The focus shifted to Mark within an hour of that bomb going off in his car," Flynn claimed. "Since those bombs have been going off, the BATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] has been calling." 

As Flynn went on to claim in the interview, he still has the wristband Hofmann was given at the [LDS Hospital] where he spent about a week following the incident. 

During his time as a forger, Hofmann created the replicas of sought-after, potentially epoch-making documents like the Anthon Transcript or the salamander letter, a fake that went against the core tenets of Mormonism. 

According to Men's Health, he and Flynn likely maintained close contact throughout his most successful period — and Hofmann might have even shown Flynn the salamander letter before sharing his "discoveries" with the general public. 

Their friendship likely started to turn sour after the investigation against Hofmann began. 

According to The Cinemaholic, Flynn was put on the list of suspects shortly after the third explosion on Oct. 16, 1985. He was arrested on Oct. 19, 1985, after the authorities found an Uzi submachine gun — that was illegally made automatic — in his home, as per Los Angeles Times. 

Some believe that Flynn started a new life in Phoenix, Ariz., as the owner of a parking-lot-maintenance business. 

Murder Among the Mormons is available on Netflix now.