Nov. 25 (UPI) — A married couple who ran a Colorado funeral home have pleaded guilty to corpse abuse for storing nearly 200 decomposing bodies inside their facility.
Jon and Carie Hallford, ages 44 and 47, respectfully, pleaded guilty Friday in an El Paso County courtroom and face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on April 18, 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen told reporters following the hearing.
The pair ran the Return to Nature funeral home, and police began investigating them in October 2023 after members of the public reported a foul odor coming from their facility in Penrose, Colo., located about 34 miles southwest of Colorado Springs.
Upon searching the facility with a warrant, authorities uncovered some 190 corpses in various states of decompositions, some of which dated back to 2019, officials said.
“Obviously, this case has been a huge, emotional struggle for all of the families that are present,” Allen said, ABC News reported.
He continued that the victims of their crime may never recover from having their trust violated.
“The impact on these family members has been immense” he said, adding that it wa an honor “to achieve justice for them.”
The pair were arrested in Oklahoma in early November, prompting Colo. Gov. Jared Polis to issue a statement expressing relief that those responsible would face charges.
“I know this will not bring peace to the families impacted by this heart-wrenching incident, but we hope the individuals responsible are held fully accountable in a court of law,” he said in a statement on Instagram.
Last month, the Hallfords each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a related case.
According to the federal prosecutors, the pair admitted that mislead families to believe that their deceased loved ones were either buried or cremated.
As part of their scheme, they also conspired to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration of more than $800,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date, the Justice Department said, adding that both defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison in the federal case as well.