Jon Hallford (Muskogee County Sheriff's Office)
A Colorado funeral home owner who stored nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a building for years and gave families fake ashes was sentenced to 40 years in state prison.
The judge told Jon Hallford he caused "unspeakable and incomprehensible" harm after family members recounted recurring nightmares since his arrest in 2023.
Who is Jon Hallford?
The backstory:
Hallford and his former wife, Carie Hallford, owned the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs. From 2019 until 2023, the Hallfords stored 189 bodies in a building in the small town of Penrose. Investigators discovered the rotting bodies after reports of a foul odor coming from the building. They believe the Hallfords gave families dry concrete that resembled ashes.
The remains were found at this building in Penrose, west of Colorado Springs, after authorities responded to a report of an "abhorrent smell." (Credit: KDVR)
During the years they were stashing bodies, the Hallfords spent lavishly, all while missing tax payments, getting evicted from one of their properties and being sued for unpaid bills, according to court documents. That included purchasing a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti worth over $120,000 combined, along with $31,000 in cryptocurrency, pricey goods from stores like Gucci and Tiffany & Co. and laser body sculpting.
Carrie Hallford has also been charged and is due to be sentenced April 24. Both pleaded guilty in December to nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse under an agreement with prosecutors.
The Hallfords also pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after prosecutors said they cheated the government out of nearly $900,000 in pandemic-era small business aid.
Victims call Hallford a ‘monster’
What they're saying:
"It is my personal belief that every one of us, every human being, is basically good at the core, but we live in a world that tests that belief every day, and Mr. Hallford your crimes are testing that belief," Judge Eric Bentley said during the sentencing hearing.
Family members, meanwhile, told the judge they dream about their loved ones with decomposing flesh and maggots. They called Hallford a "monster" and urged the judge to give him the maximum sentence of 50 years.
Kelly Mackeen, whose mother’s remains were handled by Return to Nature, was among the victims who spoke.
"I’m a daughter whose mother was treated like yesterday’s trash and dumped in a site left to rot with hundreds of others," Mackeen said. "I’m heartbroken, and I ask God every day for grace."
Hallford responds
The other side:
Before his sentencing, Hallford apologized to the victims and said he would regret his actions for the rest of his life.
"I had so many chances to put a stop to everything and walk away, but I did not," he said. "My mistakes will echo for a generation. Everything I did was wrong."
The Source: This article includes information from The Associated Press and previous FOX Local reporting.