- Jon Hallford sentenced to 40 years for stashing 200 decomposing bodies in Colorado Springs
- Hallfords gave grieving families fake ashes made of dry concrete resembling remains
- Bodies were stored in Penrose from 2019 to 2023 until authorities responded to stench
A funeral home director in the US has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after it was discovered that he stashed nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a building over four years and gave grieving families fake ashes. Jon Hallford, 46, who is serving a 20-year prison term on federal fraud charges, ran the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, alongside his wife, Carie Hallford, 49.
"Every time I approach this case, I am bowled over again by the enormity of the harm that was inflicted. This is not ordinary harm," said Eric Bentley, a district court judge in Colorado, during the sentencing.
"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," Bentley added.
Family members told the judge that they have had recurring nightmares about the decomposed and maggot-filled bodies of their loved ones. Some even called Jon a "monster" and urged Bentley to give the maximum sentence of 50 years.
The Hallfords stored the bodies in a building in the small town of Penrose from 2019 until 2023, when law enforcement agencies responded to reports of a stench from the building. The couple was subsequently arrested on November 8, 2023, on suspicion of abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering and forgery, according to a report in The New York Times.
Investigators believe that Hallfords gave families dry concrete that resembled ashes. The bodies were identified over months with fingerprints, DNA and other methods.
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Following a December plea deal, Jon and Carie Hallford admitted to nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse. While they left bodies to decay, the couple funded a lavish lifestyle with their proceeds, purchasing luxury goods from Gucci and Tiffany & Co. and investing in cryptocurrency.
"I had so many chances to put a stop to everything and walk away, but I did not. My mistakes will echo for a generation. Everything I did was wrong," said Jon, before his sentencing.
Meanwhile, Jon's wife is due to be sentenced on April 24. She faces 25 to 35 years in prison.
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