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

[azure]

Thread for this case: CO - 189 Improperly Stored Human Bodies - Penrose, Fremont County - 6 October 2023

 

[Cindizzi]

EL PASO COUNTY, Co. (KRDO) - The El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) confirmed that Carie Hallford is being processed into the El Paso County Jail.

EPSO says that she arrived there on Nov. 21.

Carie and her husband Jon are charged with Abuse of a Corpse, Theft, Money Laundering, and Forgery after 189 bodies were found improperly stored at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose.

The Hallfords were arrested on Nov. 9 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. It is unclear where Jon Hallford is at this time.

[…]

One of the Penrose funeral home owners now in the El Paso County Jail
One of the Penrose funeral home owners now in the El Paso County Jail | KRDO

 

[Cindizzi]

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/csgazette/status/1728239582209044662?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

Return to Nature Funeral Home owner possibly facing 250-plus charges

An El Paso County Judge informed the co-owner of Return to Nature Funeral Home on Friday that he is potentially facing more than 250 charges.

gazette.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

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.

https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/colorado-funeral-home-owners-where-decomposing-18513281.php

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/denverchannel/status/1730785278346833995?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

Penrose funeral home that allegedly housed 190 improperly stored bodies to be demolished, EPA says

The southern Colorado funeral home that allegedly housed 190 improperly stored bodies will be demolished, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday.

www.denver7.com

 

[azure]

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.

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

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/veronicacostatv/status/1732010325589832128?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

 

[Cindizzi]

[…]

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

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/fox21news/status/1732384401483534337?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

[…]

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.

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

 

[Richrd]

.

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:

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

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

Google Search

A Foreign, GRAPHIC Cremation Video ::: TRIGGER WARNING

.

 

[Richrd]

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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

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

Interesting Opinions:

Jon and Carie Hallford - CO - Google Search

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[lightofmine99]

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.

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

Feb. 8, 2024. (ARCHIVE)

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

 

[lightofmine99]

Return to Nature Funeral Home Owners Charged for Defrauding Clients, Defrauding Paycheck Protection Program

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Jon Hallford, age 44, and Carie Hallford, age 47, were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly defrauding their funeral home clients, and for defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which is...

www.justice.gov

Most recent news I can find for this.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1835714496830029854

 

[iamshadow21]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1835714496830029854

Are we going to see guilty? I hope the DA didn't compromise too much on charges.

MOO

 

[Cindizzi]

Under Docket Search I chose Party > Individual > and typed in Hallford for last name.

Docket Search | Colorado Judicial Branch

www.coloradojudicial.gov

Results :

 

[Cindizzi]

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- KRDO13 Investigates has learned Return to Nature Funeral Home owners Jon and Carie Hallford have accepted a federal plea

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

 

[Cindizzi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1842213071965827450

'Impossible to fully grieve:' A year after the gruesome Return to Nature discovery, the pain remains

In Colorado Springs’ Bear Creek Park, stands a memorial honoring the victims of one of the most gruesome crimes ever to rock the American funeral industry.

gazette.com

 

[iamshadow21]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1842213071965827450

'Impossible to fully grieve:' A year after the gruesome Return to Nature discovery, the pain remains

In Colorado Springs’ Bear Creek Park, stands a memorial honoring the victims of one of the most gruesome crimes ever to rock the American funeral industry.

gazette.com

Great article, very comprehensive.