Terri Hoffman

Terri Lee Hoffman (née Benson; March 21, 1938 – October 31, 2015), later known as Terri Lilya Keanely, was an American religious cult leader known for the unexplained deaths of some of her followers, including two husbands, shortly after they had willed their possessions to her. The devotees in her Dallas-based new religious movement, Conscious Development of Body, Mind and Soul, believed that they fought against spiritual entities called "black lords" on various planes of existence and protected themselves with powerful gems. The goal was joining God and the twelve "masters" through reincarnation in the spiritual realm. A four-year investigation by Dallas district attorney's office failed to produce evidence tying Hoffman to the deaths, but she was later sentenced to prison for bankruptcy fraud.

Early life and career Hoffman was born on March 21, 1938, into poverty, and sent to a Lutheran orphanage located in Round Rock at age 9. She was adopted two years later and renamed Terri Lee Benson. Hoffman married truck driver John Wilder in 1953 and had her daughter Cathy in 1954, her son Kenneth in 1958 and another daughter, Virginia, in 1963. She was committed to the Parkland Hospital for psychiatric evaluation during divorce proceedings in 1971, but got custody of the oldest child. In the 1950s, Hoffman became interested in meditation, metaphysics, hypnotism, Silva Mind Control and the writings of Edgar Cayce. After attracting a number of followers in the late 1960s, she incorporated her movement as Conscious Development of Body, Mind and Soul in 1974, selling lessons and private "consultations". In August 1979, 21-year-old Kenneth Wilder, the son of Hoffman, died after he fell from a building under construction. His death benefits and other assets were left to his mother.

Hoffman's secretary-treasurer 40-year-old Sandra "Sandy" Cleaver, who joined the spiritual movement in the late 1970s, travelled to Hawaii in February 1979 with her daughter 13-year-old Susan Devereaux Cleaver, who she had previously avoided because Hoffman had claimed that Deveraux was filled with "negative energies" and "evil spirits" that would harm her and infect her energies. As a result, Sandra grew distant from her daughter. On February 25, 1979, Sandra and Deveraux entered an inflatable raft and headed out to sea. According to Sandra, when a first wave knocked their raft over, they were separated by a second wave. Sandra arrived to the coast covered in wounds and bruises caused by coral, but Deveraux's body was discovered hours later. By the time Devereaux's father was notified and flew directly to Hawaii, he found Sandra recovering in a hospital room with Hoffman. Authorities discovered that Susan had made a will just before going on vacation, leaving all of her money and property to Hoffman and the cult. Deveraux owned a basketball, a music collection, and a $125,000 trust fund. On the day of her death, an unidentified woman went to the trust fund's bank and handed over the will. The will was soon sent to her father but it was void because minors were not allowed to write wills in Texas. Because of the "demons" Hoffman said she had inside her, some have hypothesised that Sandy may have killed her daughter.

Cleaver took a $300,000 life insurance policy to the sole benefit of Hoffman and also transferred title of her house to her, paying Hoffman rent to live in her own home. Cleaver tried to cope with her daughter's death, becoming closer to her housekeeper Louise Watson but she continued to follow Hoffman. Although Louise had been hesitant to travel, Sandy and Louise left on September 8, 1981, for Colorado. Sandy then allegedly drove her station wagon directly off a 450-foot cliff after spending the day at Terri's sister's house; the two died instantly. Although investigators determined that Sandy had driven off of the cliff at around 12 p.m., they could never determine why she drove off the cliff.

42-year-old Robin Otstott, a former curriculum writer for the Dallas Independent School District whom Hoffman had matched with an invisible CIA agent named "George", believed that her non-physical "bodies" were working against her and that her best friend Tamara Taylor's invisible CIA lover "Martin" was threatening her life. On April 19, 1987, she told her former husband that she had contracted terminal viral hepatitis from a banana peel but was persuaded to see a doctor. Two days later, after visiting Hoffman, Otstott killed herself with .38-caliber revolver.

On November 30, 1987, 33-year-old follower Mary Alice Levinson was found dead from a drug overdose in a Chicago hotel room. She also left behind a taped message for her family that police recovered at the scene stating that she used her divorce settlement money to pay off small debts and make donations to animal welfare charities. However, she refused to name any recipients of these donations. In the tape she spoke of her death; "I want you to understand that I am fully rational and I have come to this decision after a long time of thinking. I am actually looking forward to it... Obviously, with my past work with animals, I believe in euthanasia for those who were suffering horribly." Southern's family learned that he was wandering the streets of Chicago while speaking in tongues and he was then taken to a hospital. His family and two members of the cult paid him daily visits. After being released, Southern went back to his regular schedule, but friends noted that he appeared to have become somewhat disillusioned with Hoffman. He nevertheless continued to be involved in her organisation. During his college's winter break in December 1987, Southern intended to spend two weeks in India.

In June 1989, long-time followers 48-year-old David Allen Goodman and 47-year-old Glenda Frances Goodman began acting strangely, most likely due to Terri's influence on them. David was a Yale University graduate and university professor at Southern Methodist University, and Glenda was a vice-president for Perfume Oils International, the company started and owned by Hoffman. In their diary, the Goodmans claimed God announced that "the way is clear to get high energies. It's like this: You are about to be joined in a marriage between your phys self & your spirit. All is in readiness. The date is set for Oct 20..." They were found dead in late-November 1990 in their Dallas home, five weeks after dying in a ritualistic double death and ten months since their families last heard from them in January 1990. They had been discovered by a neighbour, both had been shot, and two guns were found at the crime scene. Hoffman claimed she had no contact with them for a few months before their death, however their house was filled with paraphernalia relating to Hoffman's cult, including handwritten notes and letters. Investigators soon discovered that shortly before their deaths, the couple had written checks to Hoffman totalling close to $100,000. Their deaths were ruled a double suicide.

Investigation and later life Spurred by news reports about the Goodmans and the pattern of deaths that followed Hoffman, a criminal investigation was launched by the Dallas district attorney's office in January 1990. Assistant District Attorney Cecil Emerson stated that it would be difficult to determine if mind control could legally be a contributing factor in a death. Hoffman and Conscious Development denied any wrongdoing. Hoffman's lawyer, Fred Time, referred to the investigation as a witch-hunt and praised his client's persona. After four years, prosecutors could not find evidence linking Hoffman to the deaths.

Hoffman filed for bankruptcy in October 1991, and she was sentenced to 16 months in prison for ten counts of bankruptcy fraud in May 1994. She was released after serving a year. Hoffman later married Roger Keanely and changed her name to Terri Lilya Keanely. She started a website touting her experience and many talents and wrote a financial advice book. She died on October 31, 2015, at 77.

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