Searchers are using excavators at the Salt Lake County Landfill in an effort to find Lori Hacking's body. They have gone through about half of the trash in the search area.
Chris Bergin, Deseret Morning News
Posted on 08/10/2004 1:57:35 PM PDT by MizSterious
Deseret Morning News, Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Rifle used, Yocom says
Hacking bail soars to $1 million after charges are filed
By Pat Reavy and Lucinda Dillon Kinkead
Deseret Morning News
Mark Hacking was to make his first court appearance today in what prosecutors alleged Monday was the "gutless" shooting death of his wife, Lori, as she slept.
Searchers are using excavators at the Salt Lake County Landfill in an effort to find Lori Hacking's body. They have gone through about half of the trash in the search area. Chris Bergin, Deseret Morning News |
His bail was doubled to $1 million Monday.
After Hacking shot his wife early July 19, he wrapped Lori's body with garbage bags and dumped her body, the rifle and the mattress in three separate Dumpsters around the city about 2 a.m., according to court documents.
Investigators believe Lori Hacking's body was left in a Dumpster near the University of Utah, Salt Lake District Attorney David Yocom said. As of Monday police had not found her body, the alleged murder weapon, the pillowtop portion of the mattress or the bedsheets.
During a press conference Monday, Yocom did not answer directly the question about a possible motive for the killing, referring only to the probable cause statement saying that Lori confronted Mark about his lies regarding his schooling.
Mark Hacking had told his family he had graduated from the University of Utah in May and had been accepted to medical school in North Carolina. But he hadn't been to school since 2002.
Lori found out about Mark's lies and argued with him July 18, according to court documents. After the fight, Lori went to bed and Mark stayed up to play video games and to pack, according to court documents.
"At this point, the defendant states that he came across his .22 rifle, walked into the bedroom and shot Lori in the head while she slept," according to court documents.
On Monday, Yocom referred to the words of Lori's father, Eraldo Soares, who released a statement Friday calling the murder "selfish," "shameful," "cowardly," "gutless" and "monstrous."
"All of those terms Mr. Soares used applied in this case," Yocom said.
Some key evidence in the case comes from the statements of family members and a confidential informant whose identity has yet to be revealed.
On July 24 Mark's brothers, Lance and Scott Hacking, notified the hospital they would be visiting Mark and asked that the hospital delay giving him his medication "until they had a chance to talk to him because (they) wanted the defendant to be lucid," according to court documents.
The brothers described Mark as appearing "coherent" and his emotions as "very real," according to the probable cause statement. Mark told them that he "was scared and said he did not know what to do," according to court documents.
After they assured Mark that they would love him no matter the information, Mark told them, "Lori's dead and I killed her," according to court documents.
Scott and Lance said Mark appeared to be relieved after revealing what he had done, court documents state.
Yocom said he believes Mark's confession reportedly given to his brothers was strong enough to hold up in court.
From his home in Texas, Lance told the Deseret Morning News Monday he was made aware of the charges before Yocom's press conference. He said the family was trying to follow the advice of prosecutors and let the justice system work.
Lance Hacking has not been in touch with Mark in the past several days, but other Hacking family members have been. His sister visited Mark Monday, he said.
Lance Hacking will fly to Salt Lake City this week, and the Hacking family will attend a Saturday memorial service for Lori.
Yocom said there is "no evidence to support an aggravated murder charge at this time." But Yocom said if Lori Hacking's body is found, the charge could be amended.
At this point, Yocom said, it would probably be impossible to prove that Lori was pregnant, the most obvious potential aggravating factor. Mark and Lori reportedly learned she was five weeks pregnant just before she disappeared.
Deputy District Attorney Robert Stott will prosecute the case. He said there is enough evidence to proceed with the case even without a body. He noted, however, that prosecutors would like Lori's body to be recovered, both for the family and for their case.
Yocom said there is no indication that Mark Hacking was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol when he allegedly killed Lori. He also dispelled a rumor that her body had been dismembered.
Other tenants of the Hackings' apartment complex, 127 S. Lincoln St., said they did not hear a gunshot the night police believe Lori was murdered.
Janie Butler, who lives below the Hackings' former apartment, said the walls of the complex are so thin she can hear people talking in neighboring apartments. Butler was home the night police suspect Lori was killed. She was surprised to hear Mark allegedly shot Lori, saying she didn't hear or see anything.
"I'm just shocked about the whole situation," Butler said. "I never heard or suspected anything. I'm just as shocked as everyone else is."
Most apartment residents refused comment Monday, saying they were disturbed by the case.
Yocom said he met with both Lori and Mark Hacking's parents for about two hours before filing charges, explaining to them the charges and the court process.
Yocom was asked whether the death penalty was something he discussed with the Hacking and Soares families and whether they approved of it. Yocom replied, "I couldn't discuss that."
Mark Hacking reported his wife missing the morning of July 19. He told police she had gone jogging in Memory Grove and adjacent City Creek Canyon but never returned.
Immediately, police investigators thought the evidence pointed to a different circumstance. Detectives soon believed Lori never went jogging at all.
Lori Hacking's car was found parked in front of the gates to Memory Grove. But the driver's seat was adjusted so that 5-foot-3 Lori would have been unable to reach the pedals or steering wheel, according to court documents.
Detectives also found Lori's purse during a search of the Hackings' apartment with her wallet and keys still inside, court documents state. A search of the apartment also revealed several knives in the drawer of a night stand next to the Hackings' bed, according to court documents.
"One of the knives appeared to contain blood and fibers. Fibers were also observed inside the knife's sheath," according to the probable cause statement.
Tests at the Utah State Crime Lab showed that blood found on the knife, the headboard, the back seat of Lori's car and the area between the back seat and the running board was Lori's. Blood on the bed rail belonged to both Lori and Mark, court documents state.
It was previously reported that Lori received a disturbing phone call at work the Friday before she disappeared. A University of North Carolina employee confirmed she told Lori there was no record of Mark applying for medical school or financial aid, according to court documents.
The employee had a message from Lori waiting for her on July 19. It indicated that Mark had told Lori that the problem was a "computer malfunction" and that everything had been corrected, court documents state.
Most of Lori's friends were shocked by the news that Mark had allegedly shot his wife.
"I am upset," said Lori's high school friend Rebecca Carroll after watching Yocom's press conference. "I just hope they can find her. It's just terrible."
Mark's lifelong friend Brandon Wood said it was not his job to judge whether Mark has committed a crime. "I'll let the police and justice department do that."
After watching Yocom's press conference, Wood said his thoughts were mostly with the Hacking and Soares families. He also said he would stand by Mark. "I'm Mark's friend, and I know that sometimes difficult things happen to good people."
Hacking was moved Sunday from the mental health unit of the jail to maximum security. Maximum security prisoners do not share cells and are not allowed in common areas with other inmates. Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Rosie Rivera said there are a number of reasons inmates are placed in maximum security, including whether they pose a danger to other inmates or need to be protected themselves.
Meanwhile, after five consecutive nights of searching the landfill for Lori's body with no results, Salt Lake City police said they will give searchers and cadaver dogs a rest before searching again. The search will resume Thursday.
Salt Lake City police detective Dwayne Baird said searchers have gone through less than 50 percent of the area where the body is believed to be. Investigators are searching a 1- to 2-acre area of the landfill with approximately 3,000 tons of garbage. The trash is 40 feet deep in some spots.
"We'll continue to go through it methodically," Baird said.
Yocom said he was assured Monday by Salt Lake Police Chief Rick Dinse that "the search will continue into the foreseeable future."
Mark Hacking charged, stands passive as judge reads counts
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — The man who confessed to shooting his wife in the head and throwing her body in a trash bin stood passive Tuesday as a judge read the charges against him during an initial court appearance.
 Mark Hacking appears via video in court Tuesday morning for his arraignment with his lawyer Gil Athay, right. Chris Bergin, Deseret Morning News |
On Monday, prosecutors filed the charges along with court documents detailing Hacking's confession to the slaying, made to his brothers as they visited with him in a psychiatric ward.
Hacking, 28, also was charged with three counts of obstructing justice, which carries a maximum penalty of one to 15 years in prison. The obstruction charges relate to his alleged disposal of the body, the rifle and the mattress where she had been sleeping.
Lori Hacking pinglist--if you want on or off, let me know via freepmail.
Thanks for the ping.
Wow, what a messed up statement. "Difficult things" happened to Mark?! How about Mark creating this entire disaster?! His statement should read, "I'm Mark's friend, and I know that sometimes you gotta cut your losses and look for FRIENDS THAT DON'T KILL THEIR WIVES IN COLD BLOOD!!"
The most "difficult" thing that has happened to Mark was getting caught with blood on his hands (figuratively speaking.) He was raised well and had nothing to whine about.
Hacking SHOT his wife?
With a name like that, shouldn't it have been a knife?
Next I'll expect to see this headline: "Paul A. Shooting Implicated In Stabbing Death"
Thanks for the pings. It's been a busy day for me, and I am just now getting to sit down and try to catch up. It really helps to be able to go right to this.
I can remember when one of my daughters thought Brandon Wood was about the cutest guy at the high school. And he appears to be a good kid. But that is an absolutely idiotic statement. Mark has been lying for years. He did serious wrongs on his mission. Now this. That is not a "good person."
I don't think she is in the landfill. I think she is in pieces scattered in the rough country surrounding SLC. He has lied for years. WHY is anyone believing him now when he says what he did with her?
Unless there's evidence of a gunshot, I wouldn't believe it either. There might be such evidence, but no one's really said if there is.
"I'm Mark's friend, and I know that sometimes difficult things happen to good people."
Wow, what a messed up statement. "Difficult things" happened to Mark?! How about Mark creating this entire disaster?! His statement should read, "I'm Mark's friend, and I know that sometimes you gotta cut your losses and look for FRIENDS THAT DON'T KILL THEIR WIVES IN COLD BLOOD!!"
I agree, kind of creepy how Marks friend seems "desensitized" about a MURDERED human being by his own "friend". (sarcasm) Mark and friends are thinking, "Oh darn that Lori, women, they're always messing up things." Geez these Nintendo males suffer from weird arrested developement. Talk about a waste of carbon.
OK, a rifle? Please, isn't that what one uses to kill deer?
Or an axe?
I think that nails it on the head. I watched a show on cable (Discovery?) the other night about child murderers. A psychologist said that these kids kill because they don't think their victim's death will impact anybody. Kinda like killing a stray dog. Like you said, it's a very juvenile mentality.
Hmmm. This gets a little more mysterious. Lori called NC back saying that Mark told her there was a computer error and it was straightened out? And then he still kills her? Things just aren't adding up here.
so now this weakling is saying that the murder was something that just "happened" to Hacking...
murder "just happened".....
first of all, the only "good people" in this is Lori, not her slob half-brain of a husband, and nothing "just happened" to her....she was by all accounts brutally and directly murdered by said half-brain...
it was deliberate, it was planned,even if only for a minute or two, and it was most definately, not something that "just happened" to MH.....
Oh, and we're supposed to believe that while he is still packing he stumbles across a forgotten gun and suddenly snaps and shoots her? Ha, I'll be buying the Golden Gate Bridge before I buy this fairy tale.
I found that quote quite curious. What "good" person murders his wife in her sleep? And that's not even considering the years of lies leading up to this! Next question: Did Mark have help in cleaning up and perhaps dumping the body? Should the police start asking some of these friends a few questions?
I don't know if Mark could tell the truth if it meant his very life. I don't know how much of his story the police are buying, perhaps just the parts that can be backed up by solid evidence.
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