A Colorado funeral home owner who stashed nearly 190 decaying bodies in a crumbling, insect-infested building and gave grieving families fake ashes has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, the maximum allowed for his crimes.
Jon Hallford, who operated Return to Nature Funeral Home, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He also admitted in a separate state case to 191 counts of corpse abuse, with sentencing for those charges set for August.
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The shocking discovery in 2023 revealed corpses stacked throughout the facility in Penrose, about two hours south of Denver. Federal prosecutors said Hallford and his wife, Carie Hallford, stored bodies between 2019 and 2023, while lying to families and distributing fake cremated remains.
A Crime Beyond Financial Fraud
At Friday’s hearing, prosecutors had asked for a 15-year sentence, while Hallford’s attorney requested 10 years. But Judge Nina Wang handed down the full 20 years, citing the emotional devastation inflicted on victims.
“This is not an ordinary fraud case,” Wang said.
Hallford spoke briefly before sentencing:
“I am so deeply sorry for my actions,” he said. “I still hate myself for what I’ve done.”
Families Betrayed and Grief Deepened
Victims described how the deceit reopened emotional wounds, caused lasting trauma, and upended their mourning process. Some were haunted by nightmares, while others expressed guilt and confusion over whether their loved ones had ever truly been laid to rest.
Colton Sperry, a young boy whose grandmother’s body had been stored for four years, stood at the lectern and tearfully recalled how her loss drove him into depression.
“If I die too, I could meet my grandma in heaven and talk to her again,” he once told his parents. They immediately sought help, and Colton now receives therapy and has an emotional support dog.
Derrick Johnson traveled 3,000 miles to tell the court how his mother had been “thrown into a festering sea of death.”
Lavish Spending Exposed
Federal investigators revealed that the Hallfords misused nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 relief funds and client payments to fund a lavish lifestyle. Purchases included:
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A GMC Yukon and an Infiniti SUV worth over $120,000 combined
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Over $30,000 in cryptocurrency
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Luxury goods from Gucci and Tiffany & Co.
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Laser body sculpting treatments
Hallford’s sentencing marks a grim chapter in one of the most disturbing funeral fraud cases in recent memory. His state sentencing in August could add even more years to his prison time.
