You all remember this case? Was she an innocent spiritual leader or a con artist and murderer? I personally think that's way to many coincidences how people in her group who have insurance policies where she is the benefactor seem to die under mysterious circumstances. Man there was something creepy and vile about that woman, she looks like some sort of black widow. the question is how did she convince these people to commit suicide and what not? I know she wasn't charged with any crime but circumstantial evidence against her seems so strong I don't know how their couldn't have been at least enough for authorities to try. Exceedingly strange and disturbing case, she might be a female Charles Manson. I have never seen any updates on this case, I wonder if she is still alive and pulling stuff like this? I hope not.....................

You all remember this case? Was she an innocent spiritual leader or a con artist and murderer? I personally think that's way to many coincidences how people in her group who have insurance policies where she is the benefactor seem to die under mysterious circumstances. Man there was something creepy and vile about that woman, she looks like some sort of black widow. the question is how did she convince these people to commit suicide and what not? I know she wasn't charged with any crime but circumstantial evidence against her seems so strong I don't know how their couldn't have been at least enough for authorities to try. Exceedingly strange and disturbing case, she might be a female Charles Manson. I have never seen any updates on this case, I wonder if she is still alive and pulling stuff like this? I hope not.....................

Hard to say whether or not she's actually guilty of murder, but I don't think there's any doubt that she's somehow indirectly responsible for the trail of mysterious deaths that she's so infamously associated with. At the very least, I think she could have had some strange power of persuasion over people where she may have somehow convinced them to kill themselves.

Hard to say whether or not she's actually guilty of murder, but I don't think there's any doubt that she's somehow indirectly responsible for the trail of mysterious deaths that she's so infamously associated with. At the very least, I think she could have had some strange power of persuasion over people where she may have somehow convinced them to kill themselves.

Especially the guy saying on that suicide video he had terminal cancer when the autopsy revealed he didn't. That was just bizarre.

She's either a very good voodoo priestess or witch or something, or she is very skilled at manipulative mind games to convince people to kill themselves. The case she was featured on, the Charles Southern Jr. one, is one of the eeriest ones I've ever watched.

Killer con artist, imo. And dang scary looking!

http://www.unsolved.com/images/cases/mis_charles_southern2.jpg

I remember researching this about three years ago and digging up a website that had an entire section devoted to her and her group. From what I recall, it was mostly a series of newspaper and magazine articles about her many acts of fraud. Many of them mentioned Charles Southern. I haven't been able to find it since.

This is one of the few segments I've never actually seen (well, the RS version anyway).

As far as Terri Hoffman being responsible for the deaths around her, I'm not sure. It's certainly unusual that a black cloud seems to kind of follow her wherever she goes.

This is one of the few segments I've never actually seen (well, the RS version anyway).

Wow, you've seen some pretty obscure segments that I've never even heard of. I've seen the Stack version of Charles Southern a couple of times. I distinctly remember the suicide video (a portion was shown on UM) and being creeped out by the fact that it was revealed that the man did not in fact have a terminal illness. There's no doubt in my mind that Terri Hoffman was involved in the deaths. Not directly per se, but I believe she had some sort of mental hold over her "followers" and could convince them to do things at her will.

I distinctly remember the suicide video (a portion was shown on UM)

Now THAT'S scary. :eek:

It's been about a decade since I've seen this case and all I remember is the video. I remember finding it particularly unsettling because of how close the man was to the camera and how he wasn't actually ill at all. I consider this a pretty rare segment, difficult to find.

@Meg and Wishful: I can send you ladies a copy of Charles Southern if you want.

what other cases haven't you seen?

@Meg and Wishful: I can send you ladies a copy of Charles Southern if you want.

what other cases haven't you seen?

Would LOVE that! :) :) :)

I've never seen the Michael St. Clair and Dennis Reese segment either, although I think one of the victims may be a distant relative of mine. My family is from the same area of Tennessee she lived in, and we share last names.

Would LOVE that! :) :) :)

I've never seen the Michael St. Clair and Dennis Reese segment either, although I think one of the victims may be a distant relative of mine. My family is from the same area of Tennessee she lived in, and we share last names.

Sorry to hear about that. I have that segment as well. I think I'm going to the post office by Monday to mail out a trade for another poster, I could have it ready by then.

Thanks for the kind offer wiseguy, but I currently live in Japan. :) Maybe when I come back to the States next year I'll ask you about it!

One I haven't seen is the Ed Barbara segment. Can't think of any others off the top of my head that I've never seen though I can think of rarer ones I would love to see again. For example, the older Boston Strangler segment that didn't make it to the DVDs, which included interviews with another inmate (and possible suspect) and intrigue about de Salvo's murder.

Thanks for the kind offer wiseguy, but I currently live in Japan. :) Maybe when I come back to the States next year I'll ask you about it!

One I haven't seen is the Ed Barbara segment. Can't think of any others off the top of my head that I've never seen though I can think of rarer ones I would love to see again. For example, the older Boston Strangler segment that didn't make it to the DVDs, which included interviews with another inmate (and possible suspect) and intrigue about de Salvo's murder.

sounds good. I think I do have that alternate version of the Boston Strangler buried somewhere...

Now THAT'S scary. :eek:

It was kind of creepy knowing it was a suicide video, but IIRC, Stack narrates the whole time while the guy is talking so you really can't hear anything.

Bump and I do not recall seeing the stack version either. Was this circulated on
Lifetime? I think I would remember given the opening is in dallas with that sad video of mr Hoffman. They picked a good picture of terri Hoffman she looks like a phony bit type. Sad that people prey on others like that.

Bump and I do not recall seeing the stack version either. Was this circulated on
Lifetime? I think I would remember given the opening is in dallas with that sad video of mr Hoffman. They picked a good picture of terri Hoffman she looks like a phony bit type. Sad that people prey on others like that.

I definitely remember seeing the Robert Stack version of the story on Lifetime back in the 90s and early 2000s, though I can't say for certain how often.

As for Terri Hoffman, it has been awhile and I haven't looked too deeply, but I always got a "Heaven's Gate" type vibe about the whole situation.

Briefly, the Heaven's Gate cult members believed that they had to take their own lives to transcend to another world. So, death to them wasn't death in the physical sense that a non-member would look at it (i.e., we die physically and that is it). They believed that their souls would continue on as part of their spiritual journey. Death was just a part of that journey.

I don't know much about Hoffman's cult, but considering the trail of deaths that seem to follow it, and some of the bizarre circumstances (such as the man who committed suicide and made the video telling his family he had cancer when he actually did not), I wonder if Hoffman was merely the "facilitator" of journeys for some of her followers who chose to go down that path.

For those wanting more info on just how bizarre and messed up, Terri Hoffman's group is Cult Education Institute (http://www.culteducation.com/group/1188-terri-hoffman.html) has a page on her. Go nuts.

For those wanting more info on just how bizarre and messed up, Terri Hoffman's group is Cult Education Institute (http://www.culteducation.com/group/1188-terri-hoffman.html) has a page on her. Go nuts.

THAT'S the site I was talking about a page back. Thanks for finding and posting it!

I have seen the RS version since my first post. It's creepy. Apparently a vial was found in Charles Southern's room after his disappearance. His sister, who is a physician, described it as a ganglionic blocker, which would have to be administered parenterally. I've always been bothered by the questions of how that drug was procured, and why Southern had it in his possession. Those kind of drugs don't "knock you out"--they paralyze your muscles (including those you use for respiration), and you maintain consciousness. A similar drug was used in the murder of Shannon Mohr, who was also featured on UM.

Those articles are rich resources and really paint a good picture of just how utterly brainwashed some of Hoffman's followers were. The story of Sandy Cleaver and her daughter Devereux is chilling, and sad. Devereux's father fought hard to keep his daughter safe, but couldn't ultimately do so.

Is the old witch still alive? Her website hasn't been updated since 2008

Bump.

Watched this segment last night and had to look away from my tablet when they showed her picture. What a creepy looking lady.

I think she's dead. I found this in my travels on the interwebs and bolded the portions that fall in line with what I know about her:

-----------------------------------------------
Terri Keanely, wife of Roger Chandler Keanely, M.D., was born in Ft. Stockton, Texas, March 21, 1938. She was born in poverty and through hard work and motivation became a successful business woman and leader amongst people of all nationalities. She died October 31, 2015 in Baylor Hospital in Dallas; her problems were cardiac in nature. She is survived by her husband, Roger, her daughter Virginia Wilder, her sisters Dora Donally and Mildred Sewell, her grandchildren: Natasha Green Palacios, Jon Wayne Green, and her two greatgrandchildren, Scarlet & Ryder Palacios. She was preceded in death by Margie Thomas Klein, a sister, Jimmie Thomas a brother, Artie Thomas, a brother, and other siblings of whom she had lost track. She was also preceded in death by a son, Kenneth, and a daughter, Cathy.

As a child, she was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Harry Benson, who was a concert violinist and with whom she had a loving relationship; however, the relationship with her adoptive mother was not good, and Terri left home at age 15 to marry John Wilder. Within a year, she birthed her first child, Cathy, with Kenneth being born a few years later; Virginia was born 10 years after Cathy’s birth.

Over the years, Terri became a pillar of the community developing expertise in
Dressmaking, jewelry making, raising and racing quarter horses, and farming. When the teaching in the Dallas public schools fell short, she devised and instituted a curriculum for school children in the Dallas public schools. She has been and forever will be a loving heart, and we all know her as a powerful, loving energy worker. She was a winner of many national and international accolades, including Cambridge Who’s Who, Who’s Who of Woman, Great Minds of the 21st century, Great Women of the 21st Century, Leading Intellectuals of the World, and many, many, others. She has been sought out for her problem solving ability, her wisdom, expertise in different fields by heads of state all over the world.

She has been most proud of her correspondence course, which is a “how to” prescribed method to develop one’s consciousness, or more specifically, conscious awareness in effecting positive change in one’s life, through modicums of activity and positive programming. The goal is not only to make the individual a better person, but a more conscious person who could set sail toward any goal and be reasonably certain of accomplishing it.

To me, she was and forever will be most masterful when she led a class in meditation, taking us with absolute expertise through a myriad of chambers, masters, and levels. Who else could work with such expertise en masse. She developed Krashada acupressure for specialized health, and multi-body release for releasing traumas from all levels, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

She demonstrated spiritual beings in clouds through her photography with definitive delineation to bring us closer to recognizing the inner world of spiritual reality. With inner sight and hearing, she taught that spiritual truths are grounded in an inner reality in the same way that Christ taught the same truths—the kingdom of God is within.

What would one say was her greatest legacy—her writings, her lectures, her photographic work? I would say the notion and the absorption of vibratory frequency, each being or substance having a specific frequency. She gave us the opportunity to experience many different vibratory frequencies so that the next time we are exposed to a being, situation, or an energy, we can now attune to it and recognize it/them because she presented those new vibratory frequencies to us. That has been truly a gift from God.

So our leader has left us on the physio-astral but nevertheless still exists on all the other levels. Thank you, for all your love, tutelage, and care. Until we meet again.
-----------------------------

So that's a little creepy. She either wrote her own obituary or was clearly loved by someone very much.

The more I read about her, the more I'm convinced she did not *directly* kill any of these people, but clearly had some sort of undue influence over them which in turn caused their sad fates.

Can't say I'm going to cry too hard over the loss of this one.

Bump.

Watched this segment last night and had to look away from my tablet when they showed her picture. What a creepy looking lady.

I think she's dead. I found this in my travels on the interwebs and bolded the portions that fall in line with what I know about her:

-----------------------------------------------
Terri Keanely, wife of Roger Chandler Keanely, M.D., was born in Ft. Stockton, Texas, March 21, 1938. She was born in poverty and through hard work and motivation became a successful business woman and leader amongst people of all nationalities. She died October 31, 2015 in Baylor Hospital in Dallas; her problems were cardiac in nature. She is survived by her husband, Roger, her daughter Virginia Wilder, her sisters Dora Donally and Mildred Sewell, her grandchildren: Natasha Green Palacios, Jon Wayne Green, and her two greatgrandchildren, Scarlet & Ryder Palacios. She was preceded in death by Margie Thomas Klein, a sister, Jimmie Thomas a brother, Artie Thomas, a brother, and other siblings of whom she had lost track. She was also preceded in death by a son, Kenneth, and a daughter, Cathy.

As a child, she was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Harry Benson, who was a concert violinist and with whom she had a loving relationship; however, the relationship with her adoptive mother was not good, and Terri left home at age 15 to marry John Wilder. Within a year, she birthed her first child, Cathy, with Kenneth being born a few years later; Virginia was born 10 years after Cathy’s birth.

Over the years, Terri became a pillar of the community developing expertise in
Dressmaking, jewelry making, raising and racing quarter horses, and farming. When the teaching in the Dallas public schools fell short, she devised and instituted a curriculum for school children in the Dallas public schools. She has been and forever will be a loving heart, and we all know her as a powerful, loving energy worker. She was a winner of many national and international accolades, including Cambridge Who’s Who, Who’s Who of Woman, Great Minds of the 21st century, Great Women of the 21st Century, Leading Intellectuals of the World, and many, many, others. She has been sought out for her problem solving ability, her wisdom, expertise in different fields by heads of state all over the world.

She has been most proud of her correspondence course, which is a “how to” prescribed method to develop one’s consciousness, or more specifically, conscious awareness in effecting positive change in one’s life, through modicums of activity and positive programming. The goal is not only to make the individual a better person, but a more conscious person who could set sail toward any goal and be reasonably certain of accomplishing it.

To me, she was and forever will be most masterful when she led a class in meditation, taking us with absolute expertise through a myriad of chambers, masters, and levels. Who else could work with such expertise en masse. She developed Krashada acupressure for specialized health, and multi-body release for releasing traumas from all levels, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

She demonstrated spiritual beings in clouds through her photography with definitive delineation to bring us closer to recognizing the inner world of spiritual reality. With inner sight and hearing, she taught that spiritual truths are grounded in an inner reality in the same way that Christ taught the same truths—the kingdom of God is within.

What would one say was her greatest legacy—her writings, her lectures, her photographic work? I would say the notion and the absorption of vibratory frequency, each being or substance having a specific frequency. She gave us the opportunity to experience many different vibratory frequencies so that the next time we are exposed to a being, situation, or an energy, we can now attune to it and recognize it/them because she presented those new vibratory frequencies to us. That has been truly a gift from God.

So our leader has left us on the physio-astral but nevertheless still exists on all the other levels. Thank you, for all your love, tutelage, and care. Until we meet again.
-----------------------------

So that's a little creepy. She either wrote her own obituary or was clearly loved by someone very much.

The more I read about her, the more I'm convinced she did not *directly* kill any of these people, but clearly had some sort of undue influence over them which in turn caused their sad fates.

Can't say I'm going to cry too hard over the loss of this one.

She is one that I won't shed a tear for. Evil woman, beginning to end.

I wonder how she came to have the last name "Hoffman." All those family members mentioned in the obituary; you'd think at least one of them would share the name.

I wonder how she came to have the last name "Hoffman." All those family members mentioned in the obituary; you'd think at least one of them would share the name.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Don_Hoffman

The man she got that last name from was her fourth husband, the man seen at the beginning of the UM broadcast who records himself saying he has inoperable cancer before committing suicide. No trace of cancer was found in his body during an autopsy. Just one of the many fishy things about this case.

Just saw this one for the first time today. This is the most obvious case Unsolved Mysteries has ever shown. How anyone could wonder if she's guilty or not is beyond me.

It's obvious she's behind it all. Not only did all off these people die while in her group, but she was named the heir in all of their wills, c'mon. It's obvious that Terri had convinced the well off people in her group to commit suicide, and name her in their will so she could get their possessions. In the segment it said she was to get half a million dollars, expensive jewelry, art, and other belongings. She was just a crook, nothing more. I'm sure she recruited people who she knew had money, or expensive items, conned them into "going on a journey to the other side" while leaving her the benefactor to their wills, so she can continue to "guide other people".

In terms of Charles Southern Jr. what's to guess? She or one of her goons either had him commit suicide/killed him, and hid him. Her name was mentioned several times through out his last note/will, and that sign of death with the hat/jacket on a stool is obvious. It was Terri, or himself telling his family that he's dead. Actually the more I think about this, the more I think Charles committed suicide. He apparently knew a lot about African religions, so it would make sense that he set up the jacket/stool death sign. The questions remains as to where he went. His handwriting in his last note was hard to read but his handwriting, so he was either drugged when he wrote it, or someone helped him write it. I wonder if he just wondered off somewhere and died, or if he was hidden.

To sum it up Terri is/was nothing more than your typical con-artist scumbag who used religion to swindle people. That's all it was. The hope dealer even had her own children, and husbands killed or commit suicide. How FOUR husbands die, and the wife is never arrested is beyond me. And his "suicide video" and autopsy should have her arrested alone. Another "prophetic religious" scumbag, another day.

I wonder if it is possible that some of her more devout followers "voluntarily" (I use the term loosely) decided to will their money and possessions over to her as a donation to the cause. Similarly, I remember reading somewhere that many of Jim Jones' followers had their social security and other checks signed over to him for the good of the collective.

To what extent she was directly involved in these deaths is difficult to say. I find it hard to believe that she was never charged in spite of the body count which leads me to believe that she personally did not have hand in these deaths in a physical sense, yet she may have been the facilitator via influence.

I wonder if it is possible that some of her more devout followers "voluntarily" (I use the term loosely) decided to will their money and possessions over to her as a donation to the cause. Similarly, I remember reading somewhere that many of Jim Jones' followers had their social security and other checks signed over to him for the good of the collective.

To what extent she was directly involved in these deaths is difficult to say. I find it hard to believe that she was never charged in spite of the body count which leads me to believe that she personally did not have hand in these deaths in a physical sense, yet she may have been the facilitator via influence.

I'm sure some of her followers voluntarily willed their money/possessions to her. But I have the feeling she persuaded them into it indirectly. Such as saying things like "people who give, and donate will be rewarded with a better journey" or "people who give what they have out the kindness of their heart won't be attacked by black demons". One nagging problem I have though is why didn't they just give them to her, why did they have to die? Smells foul to me. I think these suicides were strategically set-up so she could get what she wanted. However, I'm sure she REALLY persuaded the ones with money to sign her to their will and commit suicide, the evidence stacks up. It's not a coincidence that all of the people who "committed suicide" had a lot to give in their will. She was to inherit half a million dollars, I'm 110% sure she was responsible for that.

She was a facilitator without question. No doubt in my mind she was behind these suicides. I'm not saying she pulled the trigger physically, but she did mentally. She was kind of like Charles Manson in a way, but had people kill themselves instead which would be hard to charge her with. If anyone is questioning if she's guilty with all of the dead bodies under her, and all of the value she was set to inherit then I have a timeshare to sell you.

When you watch the segment you can look how deranged she is in her pictures. Something is off about her, that picture sent me chills. To me she is nothing more than a serial killer. She preyed on the hopeless, and depressed, and persuaded them to kill themselves just so she could get their valuables. What a disgusting creature.

EDIT: I'm sorry for all of my post being so "wordy", but I just had a thought. Charles Southern Jr. parents had found a note in his house which was his "last note" if you will, but they said that it was barely legible, but it was his handwriting. All throughout his letter it mentioned Terri's name, I guess leaving her his possessions. Do you think her, or one of her goons could've scribbled the note with Charles hand if he was injected with some drugs, or was this a "voluntary" gesture?

I'm sure some of her followers voluntarily willed their money/possessions to her. But I have the feeling she persuaded them into it indirectly. Such as saying things like "people who give, and donate will be rewarded with a better journey" or "people who give what they have out the kindness of their heart won't be attacked by black demons". One nagging problem I have though is why didn't they just give them to her, why did they have to die? Smells foul to me. I think these suicides were strategically set-up so she could get what she wanted. However, I'm sure she REALLY persuaded the ones with money to sign her to their will and commit suicide, the evidence stacks up. It's not a coincidence that all of the people who "committed suicide" had a lot to give in their will. She was to inherit half a million dollars, I'm 110% sure she was responsible for that.

She was a facilitator without question. No doubt in my mind she was behind these suicides. I'm not saying she pulled the trigger physically, but she did mentally. She was kind of like Charles Manson in a way, but had people kill themselves instead which would be hard to charge her with. If anyone is questioning if she's guilty with all of the dead bodies under her, and all of the value she was set to inherit then I have a timeshare to sell you.

When you watch the segment you can look how deranged she is in her pictures. Something is off about her, that picture sent me chills. To me she is nothing more than a serial killer. She preyed on the hopeless, and depressed, and persuaded them to kill themselves just so she could get their valuables. What a disgusting creature.

EDIT: I'm sorry for all of my post being so "wordy", but I just had a thought. Charles Southern Jr. parents had found a note in his house which was his "last note" if you will, but they said that it was barely legible, but it was his handwriting. All throughout his letter it mentioned Terri's name, I guess leaving her his possessions. Do you think her, or one of her goons could've scribbled the note with Charles hand if he was injected with some drugs, or was this a "voluntary" gesture?


Just saw this one for the first time - damn is this creepy as hell. Definitely feel like this lady (Terri Hoffman) had a Charles Manson-ish vibe about her.

How exactly these people died is up in the air - near as I can figure, she either had someone on her level (who was aware of her "spiritual" activities, but wasn't a participant) do it, possibly with a promise to split whatever possessions/property/money -OR- she brainwashed one or more of her followers into committing those acts (the most disturbing, Manson-like thing about this)

TH was a real piece of garbage. It's obvious that she bilked people out of their hard-earned $, and probably had something to do with their untimely deaths. Too many people connected to her "religious movement" died due to unnatural circumstances - for this to be a coincidence.

Too bad she never had to really answer for her crimes before she passed - other than a relatively short time in prison for fraud.