One of the two people charged with improperly storing bodies in a Penrose Funeral Home has withdrawn her guilty plea.
Carie and Jon Hallford had accepted a guilty plea together last year, meaning they could serve up to 15 years in prison on federal charges. The couple is accused of storing the decaying bodies of 190 people in their Return to Nature Funeral Home starting in 2019 and sending their loved ones dry concrete instead of ashes.
But now Carie Hallford says she wants to fight her charges. This week Carie Hallford withdrew her guilty plea and court records indicate that her ten-day trial is set to begin April 14 in U.S. District Court in Denver.
Yet, Jon Hallford has not withdrawn his plea deal. On Friday, Federal prosecutors formally recommended he serve the maximum 15-year sentence. U.S. District Judge Nina Wang has not yet ruled on the final sentence.
The federal cases against the Hallfords involve fraud charges, such as spending COVID relief funds on a lavish lifestyle and falsifying death certificates. Last November, the couple also pleaded guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse in state court. Sentencing on the state charges is set for April 18 and could increase the time the couple spends in prison beyond the federal sentence.
Authorities responding to a report of a foul odor at the Return to Nature site found the improperly stored remains in October 2023. The story attracted international headlines and helped lead to new laws in Colorado to regulate the state’s funeral industry. Prior to the signing of the legislation earlier this year, Colorado was the last state in the nation without such regulations.
