Return to nature owners to plead guilty in federal court | Courts

The owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home are scheduled to appear in court later this week to plead guilty to federal charges.

According to previous Gazette reporting, Jon and Carie Hallford are expected to plead guilty Thursday in federal court to 15 counts of wire fraud after accepting a plea deal in September.

In September, Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, filed a notice of disposition and motion to amend the plea on 15 counts of wire fraud they were facing in federal court.

In October, the funeral home about 55 miles southwest of Colorado Springs was placed under a multi-agency investigation after receiving complaints about an unpleasant odor in the area. Investigators said they found nearly 190 bodies in various states of decomposition that were not properly stored.

At their April hearing, the Hallfords pleaded not guilty to all federal charges. The trial was scheduled to begin this month, but court records show the date was canceled due to a change in disposition, and the pair will instead return to federal court on Thursday for a change-of-plea hearing.

Crystina Page, whose son David was found among the bodies at Penrose Funeral Home, previously told The Gazette that the Hallfords’ plea agreement called for the couple to spend between 71 months and 15 years in prison.

The Hallfords are also scheduled to appear virtually in an El Paso County civil negligence case filed against the couple and Hallfordhomes LLC last November. Civil case records show that most of the hearings in the case have been canceled.

A class-action lawsuit against the Return to Nature funeral home filed in Fremont County has resulted in a judgment for nearly $1 billion, but previous reporting by The Gazette indicates that it is highly unlikely that any victims will see even a small portion of the judgment amount.

In July, the Hallfords were offered a plea deal in a state-level case in which they faced 286 criminal charges.

If the state’s plea agreement is accepted, the Hallfords could spend up to 20 years in prison.

The Hallfords are scheduled to appear in court on November 8 for a guilty plea hearing in their state-level case. Hallford’s opportunity to file a motion in the state case continues to be delayed due to the priority of the federal court case, which has resulted in several impeachment hearings being delayed, including the final one in September.

Page told The Gazette that the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office met with victims this week to discuss next steps in the criminal case.

Jon Hallford is being held without bail pending the outcome of his federal case, even though he was released on $100,000 bail in his state-level case.

Carie Hallford is out of custody on $100,000 bail.