Overview
- State District Judge Eric Bentley handed Jon Hallford a 40-year prison term after victims described lasting trauma from the deception and neglect.
- Jon and Carie Hallford pleaded guilty in December to nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse, and Jon previously received a 20-year federal sentence for pandemic-aid fraud nearing $900,000.
- Investigators discovered 189 decomposing bodies stored at room temperature in a Penrose building from 2019 to 2023, with families given dry concrete resembling ashes.
- Authorities identified remains over months using fingerprints, DNA and medical records, and one veteran was later reburied with honors after a misidentification at a national cemetery.
- The case prompted Colorado to tighten funeral-home oversight, following earlier judicial rejection of more lenient plea deals before a revised agreement was accepted in December.