Judge Rejects Plea Deal for Colorado Funeral Home Owners Who Hid Nearly 190 Bodies
A Colorado judge on Monday rejected a plea deal for Carie Hallford, a funeral home owner accused of hiding nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building, after grieving families argued the proposed 15- to…
A Colorado judge on Monday rejected a plea deal for Carie Hallford, a funeral home owner accused of hiding nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building, after grieving families argued the proposed 15- to 20-year sentence was far too lenient.
According to The Associated Press, Carie and her husband, Jon Hallford, owned Return to Nature Funeral Home and allegedly dumped the bodies between 2019 and 2023, all while giving families fake ashes and defrauding the federal government out of nearly $900,000.
Both had pleaded guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse, but State District Judge Eric Bentley rejected the agreements after hearing from victims’ families who demanded harsher punishment.
The rare decision leaves Carie Hallford with two choices — withdraw her plea or proceed without a deal, risking a longer prison sentence. Her husband has already withdrawn his plea and is headed to trial.
Families of the deceased described their horror after learning their loved ones’ remains were never cremated.