On Friday, the owners of a Colorado funeral home pleaded guilty to corpse abuse.
According to Denver 7, Jon and Carie Hallford’s plea of guilty to corpse abuse was accepted by the judge; however, the judge reserves judgment on whether to accept the agreement that accompanies the plea.
The agreement reached gives Jon Hallford a sentence of 20 years in prison and Carie Hallford a sentence of 15 to 20 years. Restitution will also need to be paid, in an amount yet to be determined.
This agreement allows for the charges of theft, forgery, and money laundering to be dismissed. If the judge rejects the plea agreement, the Hallfords will be able to withdraw their plea of guilty and go to trial.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Colorado officials announced on October 6 that 115 bodies were found improperly stored at a funeral home.
Investigators received a search warrant for the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose on October 4, amid complaints of a foul odor coming from the building. Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller stated that the investigation could take months, as they will be using fingerprints, dental records, and DNA to identify the decedents, according to the Denver Gazette.
Return to Nature advertised that it performed “green burials” without embalming chemicals or metal caskets.
Ultimately, the Hallfords were charged with the abuse of 189 bodies that were found at the funeral home in various stages of decay, along with two bodies that were improperly buried. “The bodies were lying on the ground, stacked on shelves, left on gurneys, stacked on top of each other, or just piled in rooms,” prosecutor Rachael Powell said. She noted that the family members of the deceased “have been intensely and forever outraged,” according to Denver 7.
Families were given dry concrete as their loved ones’ cremated remains.
As the bodies lay around rotting, the Hallfords reportedly enjoyed spending extravagantly, according to prosecutors. The money that customers paid for services and approximately $900,000 in pandemic relief funds was spent on trips, luxury automobiles, body modifications, cryptocurrency, and other items, according to court records.
The victims feel that the sentencing agreement is not long enough to justify the Hallfords’ wrongdoings and the pain and suffering they caused with little regard.
Those affected by the Hallfords will have the opportunity to speak prior to Judge Eric Bently’s sentencing.
Sentencing is set for April 18.
Feature Photo: Jon and Carie Halford/Muskogee County Jail]
