Overview
- Carie Hallford, who pleaded guilty in December, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in state prison for abusing corpses after investigators found nearly 190 decomposing bodies at Return to Nature’s Penrose site.
- Her state term will run alongside her 18-year federal sentence for fraud, with more than $1 million in restitution ordered and the balance to be served in state custody.
- Her ex-husband and co-owner, Jon Hallford, previously received 40 years in state court and 20 years in federal prison after separate guilty pleas.
- Families told the court they were given fake or wrong cremains, including urns filled with cement, and they described lasting trauma and uncertainty about loved ones’ final resting place.
- Officials say they have identified all but two of the 191 people recovered, and the case spurred Colorado to adopt licensing for funeral professionals and routine inspections after years of weak oversight.