Two Colorado funeral home owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, have been accused of abandoning 189 bodies and using the payments intended for cremations and burials on personal items such as cars, cryptocurrency, and a lavish dinner. The couple purchased two vehicles, a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti, totaling over $120,000, while the bodies remained in a storage facility. The bodies, some of which had been decomposing for years, were discovered last October after reports of a repugnant odor in the small town of Penrose. The families of the deceased were present in court as FBI Agent Andrew Cohen revealed the Hallfords’ spending practices.
During the hearing, it was determined that there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial for Jon Hallford, while his wife Carie Hallford had previously been ordered to stand trial. The couple was arrested in November in Oklahoma, and they have not entered a plea yet. Investigators have been accumulating evidence since the bodies were uncovered.
Jon Hallford’s defense attorney argued that the prosecution failed to prove that money from the couple’s business was used to conceal the source of the funds, suggesting it did not constitute a money laundering crime. However, Cohen stated that the couple fraudulently obtained money by falsifying child support payment records to secure a pandemic-era small business loan adjustment from the federal Small Business Administration. The defense also claimed that the Yukon was purchased using funds received from the loan.
The Hallfords, who owned the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, are facing charges including abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering, and forgery. They used a building in Penrose as a storage facility for the bodies. One grieving mother, Angelika Stedman, hired the funeral home to cremate her daughter, who is still unaccounted for. Stedman expressed her disappointment, stating that the couple could have made a significant profit if they had fulfilled their obligations.
During a previous hearing for Carie Hallford, prosecutors presented text messages suggesting that the couple attempted to conceal their financial difficulties by leaving the bodies at the Penrose facility. The building had temporary refrigeration units that were nonfunctional when the bodies were discovered.
According to the prosecution, Jon Hallford had expressed concerns about getting caught as early as 2020 and proposed disposing of the bodies by dumping them in a large hole and treating them with lye or setting them on fire. Prosecutors allege that his main focus was avoiding imprisonment.
Jon Hallford was released from El Paso County jail after posting a $100,000 bond, while Carie Hallford remains in jail on a $100,000 bond.
As this shocking case unfolds, families of the deceased are eagerly awaiting justice and answers regarding the fate of their loved ones. The Hallfords’ alleged misuse of funds designated for cremations and burials has further compounded the grief and anguish experienced by these families. The trial will shed light on the extent of the couple’s actions and provide closure for those affected by their alleged crimes.
