CO - 190 Improperly Stored Human Bodies - Penrose, Fremont County - 6 October 2023

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Carie Hallford appeared in District Court in Colorado Springs via video on Wednesday. District Judge Samorreyan Burney maintained her bail at $2 million cash during the advisement hearing, KRDO-TV reported. Jon Hallford's advisement hearing was Friday and his bail also remained at $2 million.

Neither entered a plea. Their next court appearances are set for Dec. 5.

Court records say the Hallfords are both being represented by the public defender’s office, which does not comment on cases to the media.
 
I was just looking into this case again and went to the Return to Nature ig account: @returntonaturecolorado

They have two posts about "imitators", one is an Oscar Wilde quote: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness", and the other is: "WE LOVE seeing REAL people doing REAL things! So many fakes, only seeking attention, are “playin green funeral” nowadays! It’s extremely rare to find the genuine!! Thank You @coloradoburialpreserve Now Colorado has a real GREEN funeral home & finally a real GREEN burial grounds! We are not inventing new and ridiculously extreme ways of disposition. We are two independent businesses that are truly returning people back to the traditional & natural way of saying goodbye… We’re taking BIG steps here in Colorado folks…"

Seems like they were more concerned with drama than with their clients' bodies...

According to the below article, bodies had been piling up since at least 2020, so they were apparently posting things like the above while accumulating corpses at their property.

www.usatoday.com

Funeral home gave grieving relatives concrete instead of ashes, man alleges in new lawsuit

A Colorado man has started the legal process to seek a class-action lawsuit against Return to Nature Funeral Home.
www.usatoday.com
 
[…]

Multiple family members of people who used Return to Nature Funeral Home for cremation services held up pictures of their loved ones as Jon and Carrie Hallford walked into the courtroom.


The husband and wife showed zero emotion today. They were quiet and didn't speak as the judge informed them of 260 criminal charges they are each facing, including abuse of a corpse, money laundering, forgery, and theft.


During the hearing, both of the Hallfords attorneys asked to set a preliminary hearing date, where more evidence will be presented in the case, in early January.


Multiple family members told KRDO13 investigates they're angry that if convicted on their current charges they may not spend any time in prison because they are lower-level criminal charges.

[…]

Owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home make first appearance in El Paso County Court
Owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home make first appearance in El Paso County Court | KRDO
 

5C5AC2B6-1962-449F-9304-BC0E0D8E1011.jpeg

[…]

As the hearing commenced, over 70 others joined remotely via Web-Ex, magnifying the collective outcry for accountability. Families held up pictures of their lost loved ones, when Jon and Carie Hallford walked in the courtroom, aiming to confront them with the faces and memories of those they allegedly mistreated.

“I think everyone just wanted their loved one to be there and know that they’re being fought for and they’re worthy, and we will continue to fight for them,” said Swoveland, holding a cherished photo of her mother.

[…]

As the legal saga unfolds, the victims’ families vowed to stand united, offering unwavering support for one another. “We’re family now. We’re family. We’re there to support each other,” Simmons said.

At Jon Hallford’s last court hearing, an El Paso County Judge informed him he could be facing more than 250 charges. The upcoming preliminary hearings are scheduled for Jan. 4 for Jon and Jan 11 for Carie.

www.fox21news.com

Return to Nature Funeral Home owners in court, drawing dozens of grieving families

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, where 190 decomposing bodies were found earlier this year, made a court appearance in El Paso County on Tuesday, Dec. 5. This heari…
www.fox21news.com www.fox21news.com
 
.

4 January, and 11 January Court DateS

[The Human Body Count has been Increased to 190]

Jon Micael Hallford, M/43
Carie Lee Hallford, F/47

NBC News:
www.koaa.com

Owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home appear in El Paso County Court

Jon and Carie Hallford, the owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, are scheduled for a first appearance in an El Paso County courtroom on Tuesday morning.
www.koaa.com www.koaa.com

Pre-Trial Colorado Confinement in Lieu of $2,000,000 Bail


A Foreign, GRAPHIC Cremation Video ::: TRIGGER WARNING

.
 
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.

8 February*, and 21 March Court DateS

[The Human Body Count has been changed to 189]

*Jon Micael Hallford, M/43
Carie Lee Hallford, F/47

www.canoncitydailyrecord.com

Judge lowers bond for Return to Nature Funeral Home co-owner to $100,000

An El Paso County Judge on Wednesday lowered the $2 million bond for the second co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home to $100,000 to keep in line with her husband who is being charged separ…
www.canoncitydailyrecord.com www.canoncitydailyrecord.com

Interesting Opinions:

Jon and Carie Hallford - CO - Google Search

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Couple accused of abandoning nearly 200 bodies spent cremation money on vehicles, $1,500 dinner​

According to prosecutors, Jon Hallford was worried about getting caught as far back as 2020 and suggested getting rid of the bodies by dumping them in a big hole, then treating them with lye or setting them on fire.

“My one and only focus is keeping us out of jail,” he wrote in one text message, prosecutors alleged.
Click to expand...
apnews.com

Couple accused of abandoning nearly 200 bodies spent cremation money on vehicles, $1,500 dinner

An FBI agent has testified that two Colorado funeral home owners accused of abandoning nearly 200 bodies used payments from families to purchase vehicles, cryptocurrency, a $1,500 dinner in Las Vegas and other personal items.
apnews.com apnews.com

Feb. 8, 2024. (ARCHIVE)

Methinks this one can't be blamed on pandemic-related woes...
 
krdo.com

Colorado funeral home owners accused in fraud scheme involving 190+ bodies take plea deal

A live TV news station covering breaking news and traffic for Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Southern Colorado with a strong investigative team
krdo.com krdo.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- KRDO13 Investigates has learned Return to Nature Funeral Home owners Jon and Carie Hallford have accepted a federal plea deal. Federal court records show the couple notified the court of their intent to change a plea on Thursday.
[…]

A federal hearing is scheduled for October 24.

I’m guessing the 9/20 arraignment in District 4 El Paso County Court will be canceled??

JMO
 
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iamshadow21 said:
Great article, very comprehensive.
Click to expand...
Yes. One of the reporters Zach D. is the “ Courts “ reporter for this newspaper. He has been in the courtroom and live-tweeted a few murder trials I’ve followed here in Colorado Springs. Stauch was one of them. He’s very good imo.
His bio:

DF59D3A4-CA8C-4302-858D-B0DA55865E5F.jpeg
 
Cindizzi said:
Yes. One of the reporters Zach D. is the “ Courts “ reporter for this newspaper. He has been in the courtroom and live-tweeted a few murder trials I’ve followed here in Colorado Springs. Stauch was one of them. He’s very good imo.
Click to expand...
Was he the poor guy whose twitter got blown up when he was the last reporter standing the day the stream was muted for Dr Lewis responding to the jury's half a dozen questions? He was a very good sport, and got us the answers!

MOO
 
iamshadow21 said:
Was he the poor guy whose twitter got blown up when he was the last reporter standing the day the stream was muted for Dr Lewis responding to the jury's half a dozen questions? He was a very good sport, and got us the answers!

MOO
Click to expand...
Yes!
 
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