Funeral Director Given 20-Year Prison Term for Storing Decomposed Bodies and Fraud

Outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, a hearse and a van stood silently on October 6, 2023.

In a court proceeding on Friday, the operator of a Colorado funeral service was handed a 20-year sentence. He had hidden around 190 bodies in a deteriorating facility, deceived mourning families with fake ashes, and unlawfully obtained nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.

Jon Hallford, the proprietor of Return to Nature Funeral Home, admitted his involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy at federal court. He has also confessed separately to 191 charges of corpse misconduct in state court, with sentencing set for August.

Court Proceedings and Emotional Impact

Federal prosecutors requested a 15-year sentence, while the defense argued for 10 years, during the sentencing hearing. However, Judge Nina Wang justified a longer penalty due to the sheer scale of Hallford's actions and the deep emotional turmoil experienced by affected families.

Hallford expressed his apologies in court, acknowledging his inability to control the situation as he had planned, affirming his previous intentions to positively impact people’s lives.

Accompanied by his wife, Carie Hallford, they faced allegations of storing bodies between 2019 and 2023, while presenting families with counterfeit cremains. In Penrose, a smaller Colorado town, authorities found bodies piled within a neglected, infested building.

For many families, the shocking discovery led to the realization that their loved ones had not been cremated. Some learned the ashes they scattered or kept with reverence were fake, and in two instances, incorrect bodies were buried.

Families' Agony and Hallford's Financial Misdeeds

The anguish interrupted many families' mourning processes. Some members experienced nightmares and feelings of guilt, along with distressing questions around the well-being of their relatives' spirits.

Among those who spoke in court was a young boy, Colton Sperry. Recalling the fond memories with his grandmother who had passed in 2019, he shared how her body had been neglected for years, leading him into a state of despair, considering, even, the thought of joining her in the afterlife.

His emotional turmoil resulted in medical intervention, eventually leading to therapy and the companionship of a support dog.

Financial misconduct allegations pointed out that the Hallfords spent pandemic relief funds lavishly—in addition to deceiving their clients with fraudulent ashes. They purchased luxury items and vehicles with the misappropriated money, including a GMC Yukon and Infiniti, plus high-end goods and services.

Derrick Johnson, another impacted family member, traveled long distances to testify against Hallford, questioning the conditions where his mother’s remains were forced to lay.

Legal Implications and Future Court Dates

Reflecting on his mother's prepaid cremation as potentially funding Hallford's lifestyle, Johnson shared his heartache, imagining luxury experiences paid with his family’s money.

The defense counsel, Laura H. Suelau, argued for a more lenient 10-year sentence, noting Hallford's remorse and acceptance of guilt.

Federal attorney Tim Neff pushed for a harsher 15-year term, detailing grave conditions where disintegrating bodies confined many investigation areas, necessitating hazardous removal procedures.

Carie Hallford still faces trial at the federal level, slated for September, coupled with her state charges concerning corpse abuse.