September 14th 2024.
According to court records, the owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home near Colorado Springs have made the decision to change their pleas to guilty in their federal case. The couple, Jon and Carie Hallford, have been accused of 200 counts of corpse abuse and 15 counts of federal wire fraud. They each filed a notice of disposition and a motion requesting a change-of-plea hearing on Thursday, as shown in court records.
Initially, the couple had pleaded not guilty to all the federal charges during a hearing on April 18, as stated in court records. However, they have now decided to change their pleas to guilty. This comes after they were offered a plea deal in their state-level case in July. The Hallfords face a total of 286 criminal charges in Colorado, including forgery, corpse abuse, money laundering, and theft, according to court records. If they accept the deal during their arraignment hearing on Friday, they could potentially face up to 20 years in prison.
The state-level case has faced several delays, causing frustration for the families of the deceased. Heather DeWolf, who lost her son Zach in 2020 and had his remains handled by the Hallfords' funeral home, expressed her disappointment in an interview with The Associated Press in March. She wore a shirt with her son's photo, and shared how each delay only reopens the wound for her and other families.
The Hallfords' federal jury trial for wire fraud was scheduled to begin next month, but court records show that it has now been vacated. Instead, the couple will return to court on October 24 for their federal change-of-plea hearing. This decision comes after the investigation into the funeral home began when residents complained about a putrid smell coming from the couple's storage facility. Upon inspection, officers found nearly 200 bodies in various stages of decay, with flies and maggots present throughout the building.
In related news, the couple was arrested in November after allegedly fleeing to Oklahoma to avoid prosecution. They now face numerous charges, including mishandling corpses and $880K in COVID relief fraud. The Hallfords' attorneys have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The Associated Press has contributed to this report. To stay updated on crime news, sign up to receive daily updates straight to your inbox.
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