Judge rejects Return to Nature Jon Hallford’s plea agreement
PENROSE, Colo. (KRDO) – Nearly two years after close to 200 decaying bodies were discovered left to rot in a funeral home in Penrose, Jon Hallford, one of the home's owners, was set to be sentenced for 191 state counts of abuse of a corpse.
But on Friday afternoon, a judge rejected Hallford's plea agreement.
The original plea agreement called for Jon to receive a 20-year prison sentence for the state charges, which was expected to run concurrently – or at the same time – as his federal wire fraud sentence.
Hallford will need to decide whether he will take a gamble and leave sentencing up to the judge, enabling the judge to decide how much time he spends in prison. Or, Hallford will have to withdraw his guilty plea and take the case to trial.
Hallford, who operated the Return to Nature Funeral Home with his wife, Carie, is already set to serve 20 years in prison for federal wire fraud charges, which he pleaded guilty to. He has since appealed that sentence.
Jon and Carie Hallford are accused of accepting customers' payments to cremate their loved ones and taking out fraudulent COVID relief funds – all while hiding the bodies, sending families fake ashes, and using that money on designer goods and luxury cars.
The scheme was discovered after neighbors in Penrose reported a smell emanating from the Return to Nature property. KRDO13 Investigates was at the scene as deputies busted into the building, where 189 decomposing bodies were found stacked on top of each other.
Jon and Carrie both accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to 190 state charges of abuse of a corpse – but neither could be sentenced until the federal fraud case was complete.
Meanwhile, Carie's sentencing on the same state charges has not yet been scheduled, as the federal case against her continues. She is set to be sentenced for federal wire fraud charges in December.
KRDO13 Investigates has covered the Return to Nature Funeral Home and the horrific situation created by Jon and Carrie Hallford extensively. Our full reporting on the topic can be found here.
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