US EditionJudge rejects plea deal for funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies
Judge Eric Bentley rejected plea deals due to insufficient sentences for abusing 191 corpses and defrauding the government of nearly $900,000, prompting a trial for Carie Hallford.
- On Monday, State District Judge Eric Bentley rejected a plea deal for Carie Hallford, accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in Penrose, Colorado.
- Carie and Jon Hallford owned Return to Nature Funeral Home and both pleaded guilty last year to 191 counts of corpse abuse and federal pandemic-era aid fraud.
- Inside the building, decomposition fluid covered floors with bugs swarming and bodies stacked, while families said urns lacked their relatives' remains, causing nightmares and spiritual anguish.
- After the ruling, Carie Hallford withdrew her guilty plea and a trial was set for next year, while Jon Hallford also withdrew his plea and received federal sentencing.
- Judge Bentley said the harm extended beyond the 191 victims, citing loss of community trust and nearly 1,000 other customers questioning remains; the Return to Nature case triggered routine inspections and reforms, while victims requested just under 200 years.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Judge rejects plea deal for funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decomposing bodies
Carie Hallford and her husband, Jon, are accused of storing bodies in a bug-infested building, giving families fake ashes, and defrauding the federal government of nearly $900,000 (£684,800).
Judge rejects plea deal for Colorado funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies
A Colorado judge on Monday rejected the plea agreement of a funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building after family members of the deceased argued that the agreement’s 15- to 20-year sentence was too lenient. “The sentence negotiated by the parties does not adequately account for the harms that these crimes have caused,” said state District Judge Eric Bentley, describing his rare decision to fore…
Plea deal for U.S. funeral home owners accused of dumping 190 decaying bodies denied by judge
A Colorado judge on Monday rejected the plea deal of a funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building after family members of the deceased argued that the deal’s 15- to 20-year sentence was too lenient.
Judge rejects plea deal for funeral home owners accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies
DENVER — A Colorado judge rejected the plea deal of a funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building Monday after family members of the deceased argued that the deal’s 15- to 20-year sentence was too lenient
Associated Press News
Judge rejects plea deal for funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies
A Colorado judge has rejected the plea agreement of a funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building.
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