US EditionColorado judge rejects plea deal for funeral director who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses
Judge Eric Bentley rejected a plea deal for Jon Hallford, who mishandled 191 corpses while defrauding families and the government to fund a lavish lifestyle.
- On Friday, Judge Eric Bentley rejected a plea agreement for Jon Hallford, owner of Return to Nature Funeral Home, who admitted abusing 191 corpses; Bentley called it `extreme action by the court`.
- Jon and Carie Hallford ran a fraudulent scheme at Return to Nature Funeral Home, using families' money for luxury vehicles worth $120,000 and $31,000 in cryptocurrency.
- Family members described tainted grief rituals and torn‑away signposts of grieving, Crystina Page said her son David Jaxon Page's body was mishandled, and Samantha Naranjo noted remains found long after deaths.
- If the court rejects the deal, Jon Hallford can withdraw his guilty plea and the state criminal case could go to trial, resetting the case despite his federal sentence.
- Oversight gaps are evident after Colorado struggled with weak funeral home regulations and uncovered 20 decomposing corpses at a Pueblo funeral home; Carie Hallford's sentencing remains unscheduled.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Return to Nature: Judge rejects Jon Hallford's state plea agreement
An El Paso County judge rejected the district plea agreement for Jon Hallford, co-owner of the infamous Penrose Return to Nature funeral home, during what was set to be his sentencing hearing Friday.
Colorado judge rejects plea agreement for funeral director who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses
A Colorado judge on Friday rejected a plea agreement for a funeral home owner who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses, many of which languished in a room-temperature building for years as the owner and his wife maintained a lavish lifestyle.
Judge rejects plea agreement for funeral director who let nearly 190 bodies decay
(KXRM) – A Colorado judge on Friday rejected a plea agreement for a funeral home owner who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses, many of which languished in a room-temperature building for years as the owner and his wife maintained a lavish lifestyle. Jon Hallford, the co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, previously pled guilty to state charges of corpse abuse. The plea agreement had called for a 20-year prison sentence…
Judge rejects plea agreement for Jon Hallford's state charges
UPDATE: FRIDAY 8/22/2025 12:47 p.m. EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KXRM) — On Friday, Aug. 22, El Paso County District Court Judge Eric Bentley rejected the plea agreement for state charges of corpse abuse, which Jon Hallford, Co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, previously pled guilty to in 2024. "[This is] reserved for the most extreme cases," Judge Bentley said before rejecting the plea agreement. Before taking a break ahead of his ruling j…
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