Dealer in Mormon Documents Charged in 2 Bombing Deaths

SALT LAKE CITY — A Mormon documents dealer identified more than three months ago as the prime suspect in the October bombing deaths of two people was charged today with first-degree murder.

Mark Hofmann, 31, accompanied by his attorneys, turned himself in this morning, authorities said.

A complaint filed in 5th Circuit Court charged Hofmann with two counts of first-degree murder and an unspecified number of fraud and forgery counts, Deputy Salt Lake County Atty. Walter Ellett said.

Hofmann is accused in the Oct. 15 deaths of Steven Christensen, a 30-year-old stockbroker with whom he had dealings in rare Mormon church documents, and Kathleen Sheets, 50, the wife of Gary Sheets, a Christensen associate.

Christensen was killed by a booby-trapped pipe bomb at his downtown office. Hours later, a package bomb killed Sheets at her suburban home. Investigators said the bomb that killed Sheets had been addressed to her husband.

The next day, Hofmann was injured when a bomb blew up his sports car. But police, saying they believed that third blast was accidental, identified Hofmann as their prime suspect.