My Favorite Murder: Rewind with Karen & Georgia

Episode 76: “My Own Sinkhole”

December 24, 2025
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark

Episode Overview

In this rewind episode, Karen and Georgia revisit “My Own Sinkhole” (originally aired July 6, 2017), offering fresh commentary, life updates, and reflections on the stories and the podcast’s impact. They recap the Mark Hofmann bombings and forgeries, and the infamous Central Park Five case, blending serious history with their signature comedic banter and thoughtful asides on true crime culture and audience responsibility.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Revisiting Old Episodes and Podcast Beginnings

• The episode opens with Karen and Georgia reflecting on their awkward early intros, riffing on how starting each episode felt uncomfortable but ultimately trivial given the vastness of the universe.
  • "[After talking about the Hubble telescope] I'm just saying, who cares how we start this podcast?" — Karen, [04:32]
  • “Dude, we're stardust.” — Georgia, [04:35]
• They joke about the “podcasting loft,” OCD tendencies in arranging fan art, and earthquake preparedness as L.A. residents, segueing into Karen’s fascination with sinkholes.
  • “One of my great passions of life is sinkholes.” — Karen, [09:07]

2. Updates: Life After the Podcast’s Growth

• Both hosts share how the success of My Favorite Murder changed their lives in tangible ways, e.g., Georgia’s dad no longer drives Lyft and Karen no longer lives atop a threatening liquefaction zone.
  • "Because of this podcast and the murderinos who listen, I was able to help my dad retire." — Georgia, [19:36]
  • "Now I own a home that is built on granite. I'm no longer in a liquefaction zone." — Karen, [20:09]

3. Listener Letters and Community

• A listener, whose father prosecuted a major case, writes in, sparking discussion on involvement with infamous crimes and community engagement, such as the Cleveland Murderinos meetup raising $500 for End the Backlog.
  • "Way to go, because that really makes a difference." — Karen, [14:52]

4. Tattoos & Murderino Culture

• The hosts consider matching My Favorite Murder tattoos, riff on neck tattoos as “job stoppers,” and discuss the rise of calligraphy and fan lettering challenges among Murderino fans.
  • “I want to get mine all across my one haunch...my whole hip, front to back.”— Karen, [16:48]
  • “I’m gonna get ssdgm.” (Stay Sexy, Don’t Get Murdered) — Georgia, [17:02]

Featured Cases

A. Mark Hofmann & The Mormon Bomber

Story by Karen Kilgariff
Starts: [26:00]

Mark Hofmann: Background & Crimes

• Master forger in Salt Lake City during the 1980s, infiltrated Mormon circles, and became infamous for forging historical documents — including the “Salamander Letter,” which shook the Mormon historical narrative.
  • "He was like one of the greatest forgers or the...most infamous forgers anyone had ever seen." — Karen, [49:43]
• Details the pipe bomb murders in 1985 that killed Steve Christensen and Kathy Sheets; police traced evidence back to Hofmann, who was injured while transporting a third bomb.
• Hofmann’s forgeries duped major institutions (Sotheby’s, Library of Congress) and targeted the LDS Church with forged revelations.
  • “That was such a change of the historical record.” — Karen, [45:08] (on the Salamander Letter)
• Key insight: Abuse of trust in insular or religious communities enabled such frauds — a warning echoed in examples beyond Mormonism.
  • "They call it affinity fraud. And it happens in lots of different...religions." — Karen, [32:12]

Capturing Hofmann & Aftermath

• Investigators pieced together the truth through forensic science (e.g., trajectory of bomb shrapnel).
• Hofmann’s lies unraveled, leading him to plead guilty to second-degree murder and forgery, receiving a sentence of five years to life.
  • “He was sentenced to five years to life in prison. He's spending life in prison?” — Georgia, [54:22]

Updates

• Mark Hofmann remains in prison and has never granted an interview.
• The Netflix series Murder Among the Mormons recently explored the case.
• Victims’ families, especially Gretchen Sheets McNees (now a detective), remain vocal about not valorizing Hofmann because “he also killed two people and didn’t care who he killed” — [Quote: Karen citing McNees, 55:49]

B. The Central Park Five

Story by Georgia Hardstark
Starts: [61:09]

Setting the Stage: New York City in the 1980s

• Details the social, economic, and racial crisis in 1980s NYC: abandoned neighborhoods, fires, class and race conflict, rise in crime, and sensationalist media.
  • “On a typical day in 1989...nine rapes, five murders, 255 robberies, and 194 aggravated assaults.” — Georgia, [67:08]

The Night in Central Park

• In April 1989, a series of attacks by a group of teens culminated in the brutal assault and rape of jogger Trisha Meili. Five Black and Latino boys (Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise) are arrested, interrogated without food/sleep, coerced into confessions, and ultimately convicted despite their recantations and no physical evidence linking them to the crime.
  • “These are 14, 15-year-old children that aren't bad kids.” — Georgia, [73:10]
  • “They told them, they admit just to, you know, go home.” — Georgia, [73:11]

The Media Firestorm & Public Backlash

• Newspapers publish names, photos, addresses of the accused (despite legal protections for minors), fueling racist tropes (“wilding,” “wolf pack”).
• Donald Trump calls for the death penalty; the prosecution narrative overrides physical evidence and concerns of coerced confession.
  • “The media fucking loses its shit, which is such a big part of the story.” — Georgia, [74:10]

Exoneration

• In 2002, serial rapist Matias Reyes confesses to the Central Park attack, with DNA proof matching him and not the five. The convictions are vacated; the city pays $41M in settlement. Still, some involved refuse to admit error.
  • “Why would you admit you did something and did it alone...and actually have the hard evidence and know the details?” — Karen, [89:19]
  • “The five are exonerated. And in 2014, New York City paid them $41 million as a settlement.” — Georgia, [88:29]

Updates

• All five men now advocate for criminal justice reform; their stories are depicted in Netflix’s When They See Us.
  • “Yusef Salaam became a board member of the Innocence Project...won the Democratic nomination...in 2023.” — Georgia, [96:00]
  • “Park Madison NYC...donates a portion of its proceeds to the Innocence Project.” — Georgia, [96:24]
  • “In December 2022, a Central park entrance was renamed Gate of the Exonerated...” — Georgia, [97:26]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “One of my great passions of life is sinkholes.” — Karen, [09:07]
• “Because of this podcast and the Murderinos who listen, I was able to help my dad retire.” — Georgia, [19:36]
• “There's something to that. There seems to be an innocence that in the 70s and 80s, con men were like, oh, we can exploit this.” — Karen, [35:15]
• “They tricked the Library of Congress. He tricked Sotheby’s.” — Karen, [42:57]
• “I feel so much for her... thinking that these five boys were her attackers for so long and then having to switch her brain completely. It's just so scary.” — Georgia, [90:21]
• “What's better than not covering it because it's too loaded is... just not talking about it at all. And so I think that's important as well.” — Georgia, [94:01]

Commentary on True Crime & Podcasting Responsibility

• The hosts repeatedly address the ethical dimensions of true crime storytelling:
  • On not glorifying perpetrators: “I think they've kind of idolized him and given him a unique status. I don't think he deserves. Yes, he did those four forgeries, but he also killed two people and didn't care who he killed.” — Karen (quoting Gretchen Sheets McNees), [55:49]
  • On representing all victims: “I want to tell the stories because I want to represent as many people as we can, as many victims as we can, which I totally think these boys are victims in this story.” — Georgia, [92:24]
  • On listener feedback and growth: “It's the kind of awareness that we definitely had to develop over time.” — Karen, [56:51]

Important Timestamps

• [02:52] — Start of “Rewind” with new commentary
• [09:07] — Karen's obsession with sinkholes, earthquake talk
• [19:36] — Life updates since original 2017 recording
• [26:00] — Karen begins Mark Hofmann story
• [55:44] — Karen’s case updates and reflection
• [61:09] — Georgia begins Central Park Five case
• [88:29] — Exoneration and settlement for the Five
• [96:00] — Where the exonerated Five are today
• [98:01] — “Something positive” segment

Lighter Touch: Community, Music, and Self-Care

• Karen and Georgia keep their signature banter alive—in jokes about tattoos, jobs, dating apps, and the ongoing support from the “Murderino” community.
• The “something positive” closer underscores mental health care and music as anchors.
  • “Music is such an important part of...the human existence, the human experience and life and happiness.” — Georgia, [99:19]

Alternate Episode Titles (as joked by the hosts, [99:30])

• “Too Many Fish”
• “Really Aunt Mary”
• “Some Toes”
• “One Point Over Mine”

Conclusion

This “rewind” episode stands as vintage MFM: equal parts irreverent, poignant, community-focused, and self-aware. The hosts revisit criminal cases with deeper hindsight, celebrate how the podcast has changed their lives and the lives of their listeners, and show continued growth in ethical storytelling. All with plenty of laughter—even about sinkholes and neck tattoos.

Stay Sexy, Don’t Get Murdered.