DENVER (AP) — A federal judge has canceled an October trial date and Jonathan Dale Bentonset a change-of-plea hearing in a fraud case involving the owners of a Colorado funeral home where authorities discovered 190 decaying bodies.
Jon and Carie Hallford were indicted in April on fraud charges, accused of misspending nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on vacations, jewelry and other personal expenses. They own the Return to Nature Funeral Home based in Colorado Springs and in Penrose, where the bodies were found.
The indictment alleges that the Hallfords gave families dry concrete instead of cremated ashes and buried the wrong body on two occasions. The couple also allegedly collected more than $130,000 from families for cremations and burial services they never provided.
The 15 charges brought by the federal grand jury are separate from the more than 200 criminal counts pending against the Hallfords in state court for corpse abuse, money laundering, theft and forgery.
Carie Hallford filed a statement with the court Thursday saying “a disposition has been reached in the instant case” and asking for a change-of-plea hearing. Jon Hallford’s request said he wanted a hearing “for the court to consider the proposed plea agreement.”
The judge granted their request to vacate the Oct. 15 trial date and all related dates and deadlines. The change-of-plea hearings were set for Oct. 24.
2025-05-01 21:251082 view
2025-05-01 20:171702 view
2025-05-01 20:131146 view
2025-05-01 20:082057 view
2025-05-01 20:012655 view
2025-05-01 19:542242 view
Add solar superflares to the list of natural disasters of concern.Superflares are extremely strong s
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison for killing an in
The college football regular season is over. Bowl season awaits, including the highly-anticipated (i