"Last night I had a dream that my father was one of the first people to greet him on the other side, full of forgiveness," Brian Larson wrote in a Facebook post. "I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to forgive all men and I was impressed that my father not only forgave him, but wanted to teach him more about the gospel. He had planned to turn the building into "Captain Nemo's Dinner Theater Atlantis & Fitness Center." Woodland declared bankruptcy and Larson and the partner acquired the building. On the day of the shooting, Woodland sought out Larson, who was visiting the property, and shot him five times. He denied guilt during the trial and even at his last parole hearing in 2008 still proclaimed his innocence. Brian Larson said his family did not have a problem with Woodland being released from prison.
– On March 20, 1990, Bruce Larson was murdered near Salt Lake City after a contracting deal gone bad, leaving behind a wife and five kids, including 9-year-old Brian. But despite missing out on all the father-son bonding experiences over the years, Brian is finally able to forgive his dad's killer, Eugene Woodland. The driving force behind his newfound inner peace: a dream he had after Woodland died last week at the age of 85, the Deseret News reports. "Last night I had a dream that my father was one of the first people to greet [Woodland] on the other side, full of forgiveness," Brian posted on Facebook Saturday. "His example in this dream makes it easier for me to fully forgive Eugene Woodland for what happened." Woodland, known as "Captain Nemo" for his nautically themed getup, had been building "Captain Nemo’s Dinner Theater Atlantis." The elder Larson was renovating the site, but Woodland declared bankruptcy and Larson took over the property; after the shooting, Woodland was convicted of first-degree homicide. He successfully fought to keep the state from medicating him in a case that "changed the way Utah treats mentally ill defendants," reports the Salt Lake Tribune. After his death, Brian Larson says his mom called Woodland's daughter to lend support. "My mom is truly the most forgiving person in the world," he adds. (Pope Benedict forgave the woman who tackled him one Christmas Eve.)