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Richard Piatt ReportingDeception and trauma uncovered in Mark and Lori Hacking's marriage is having a wider impact in Utah. The mental anguish of lies revealed by Lori's apparent death has some couples taking an anxious look at each other.
It's natural to look at Mark and Lori Hacking a little differently in photos and on video tape, knowing what we know now. But for many it isn't natural to feel the way Salt Lake Tribune artist Pat Bagley depicts his cartoon where a man responds to his wife: "Three kids and 20 years of marriage together, what do you mean, who am I really?"
But in reality, a lot of people are wondering themselves these days.
Lauren Weitzman, Psychologist: “It may not be the normal every day experience, but it may be a natural reaction to something like this that’s happening in our community.”
Unofficially, therapists in Salt Lake City report rising anxiety among their patients who can't help wondering how their loved ones lie to them. People find they can relate to the things Lori Hacking was apparently kept in the dark about.
When it comes to smaller lies, the telltale signs of nervousness are sometimes enough to detect a guilty conscience. These are just the start of a long list of symptoms. But a strong yet common reaction is also telling that someone may be enmeshed in a web of deceit.
Psychiatrists who study lying, like Doctor Daivd Tomb, say pathological lies--reaching even to things a person doesn't need to lie about--can be a serious problem.
David Tomb, Psychiatrist: "They thrive on risk. And they like the cat and mouse game and they consider it a challenge to see if they can maintain it."
The Hacking case is considered extreme and rare, making it more curiosity than concern for most people. But it does tap into a real vulnerability most of us have: The willingness and need to trust those who are closest to us.
Police have repeatedly said there is additional, undisclosed evidence of deceptions by Mark Hacking -- information that's not likely to come out until the case goes to court.
