APn  04/28 0157  Metaphysical Case

Copyright, 1990. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

By DAVE PEGO
 Associated Press Writer
   DALLAS (AP) -- An instructor of metaphysics, questioned after nine people
associated with her died during a 13-year period, has been the victim of a witch
hunt, her attorney says.
   "It's Salem all over," Fred Time, attorney for Terri Hoffman, said Friday.
"They've called her a Manson, a Jones in Guyana. It's crazy, without facts, and
a defamation of character."
   Dallas County District Attorney John Vance said Thursday that prosecutors
lack evidence to send the matter to a grand jury for a possible criminal
indictment.
   The case had been set for presentation next week and subpoenas had been
issued to witnesses, including Ms. Hoffman. Those subpoenas have been canceled.
   "I have to remain calm and quiet," said Ms. Hoffman, who referred questions
to Time. "But one of these days I will tell my story."
   Prosecutors began looking into Ms. Hoffman's affairs after a former college
professor and his wife who followed her teachings were found dead last fall.
Police said two may have killed themselves.
   Four other followers of Ms. Hoffman have committed suicide, including two of
her husbands. Two other followers died in apparent accidents, as did the
housekeeper of one of the followers.
   Some accounts of the case have included mention of Ms. Hoffman's son, who
died on the job in a construction accident. His death did not come up in the
investigation.
   Some of the followers had given or bequeathed her money and property.
   Ms. Hoffman ran a concern called Conscious Development of Body, Mind and Soul
Inc., through which she sold books and tapes. She ran classes on meditation and
spiritual sessions.
   Assistant District Attorney Cecil Emerson, who directed the investigation of
Ms. Hoffman, said earlier this year that he was trying to determine whether
"mind control" could legally be blamed for contributing to a death.
   After Thursday's announcement, Emerson said: "I would just hope that if
something further presents itself, we will consider it."
   Ms. Hoffman still faces a civil lawsuit filed by two stepchildren, who claim
she contributed to and profited from their father's September 1988 suicide and
the deaths of six other associates. Trial is scheduled in August.