Colorado man sentenced to 20 years after police find nearly 200 improperly stored corpses

A southern Colorado funeral home owner received 20 years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit federal wire fraud. Officials first arrested Jon Hallford and his wife, Carie, in November 2023, after discovering 189 decomposing bodies in the couple’s funeral home, Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose. The business claimed to specialize in so-called green burials, which omit the embalming process, allowing bodies to decompose naturally or be cremated. The local coroner needed to use fingerprints, DNA, medical records, and dental records to identify remains found stacked inside the 2,500-square-foot funeral home building.

Over a dozen witnesses connected to the case delivered victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing, according to The Gazette. Jon’s attorney requested a 10-year sentence from the judge, noting his admission of guilt and wrongdoing. Jon admitted to the federal fraud charge for falsifying death certificates, sending customers fake ashes, and misusing federal COVID-19 payouts from the government. The couple financed a luxury lifestyle by defrauding customers and misusing federal COVID-19 payments, federal prosecutors alleged. The Hallfords bought two luxury cars with a combined value of more than $120,000, plus thousands in cryptocurrency purchases, luxury items, and cosmetic procedures, according to reporting by The Associated Press. Jon also pleaded guilty to nearly 200 state charges of corpse abuse and is scheduled to be sentenced on those charges in late August.

What’s happening with his wife? Initially, both Carie and Jon took a deal from prosecutors and agreed to plead guilty to federal wire fraud. Carie withdrew her federal guilty plea earlier this year and is scheduled to face trial in early September. However, Carie pleaded guilty alongside her husband to nearly 200 state charges of corpse abuse last November.

Dig deeper: Read my report on authorities discovering the corpses in late 2023.