If Netflix brought you here for more, welcome! In October 1985, 3 pipe bombs exploded in Salt Lake City, Utah, killing 2 and injuring the bomber, Mark Hofmann. Mark was a master forger and tried to kill to prevent his forging secret from becoming known. He sold not only significant Mormon documents, but American memorabilia as well. Brent Ashworth may have bought more of Mark’s documents than anyone except the LDS Church. Brent tells of his dealings with Mark, as well as meeting a second serial killer!
Brent: I went to the University of Utah. And the ironic thing is, is that it was there that I took a criminal law class because I was going out to be a prosecutor, which I was down in Price, [Utah] after I left law school, but I took criminal law. And we were sat alphabetically in seats by Professor Lionel Frankel, who was number two a Yale a real bright guy. I enjoyed his class. He started the class out by saying, “This class will be different than any other class you ever take in law school, because criminal law does not work.” And I’m sure that the guy sitting next to me because we sat alphabetically, and I was Ashworth and Ted Bundy sat right next to me.
GT: No way!
Brent: Yeah. And he missed a few classes. He was arrested during that semester. So we learned more about him as time went on. But I’ve always blamed Ted for stealing my criminal law textbook, because it’s the only one I ever lost. And you didn’t want to lose them, because they were 50 bucks apiece back in the early ’70s. And that was when tuition at the [University of Utah] law school was $250. So, I lost one and I had to buy it again. And I always blame Ted, because I figure he had bigger problems.
GT: Wow.
Brent: Then I went out into criminal law after that, and so it’s ironic I met Mark.
GT: My goodness, I don’t know many people that have met two notorious serial killers.
Brent: Just by happenstance, I guess.
We’ll go deep into Brent and Mark’s lucrative dealings and learn more about how Brent met Mark. Check out our conversation…
