It has been 25 years since Mark Hofmann began serving his prison sentence for forgery and murder. He forged and sold many documents including a purported blessing from Joseph Smith Jr. to Joseph Smith III and the infamous “Salamander Letter.” In a desperate attempt to avoid exposure, he constructed bombs that on 15 October 1985 killed Steven Christensen and Kathy Sheets. A few days later, a third bomb severely injured Hofmann himself and led to the discovery of his forgeries and to his conviction.
In March 1981, Mark Hofmann recorded a phone call he made to the RLDS / Community of Christ Church as he tried to interest them in a forgery of the “Joseph Smith III Blessing.” The recording was acquired by attorney and collector Brent Ashworth during the mid 2000s. The original is in the LDS Church archives. Listen to the conversation here.