Owners of funeral home in Penrose expected to take plea deals in Colorado case

The owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose who are accused of mishandling nearly 200 dead bodies both intend to accept plea deals in their Colorado cases. Jon and Carie Hallford briefly appeared in court in Colorado Springs on Friday and they are expected to enter new pleas in early November.

Nearly a year ago police made the gruesome discovery of the nearly 200 bodies and parts in Penrose after the neighborhood complained about an odor.

Then, in July, the two were offered a plea deal in their state case, where they face 286 criminal charges including corpse abuse, money laundering, theft and forgery.

Those charges are separate of the 15 federal charges the Hallfords were indicted on in April.

A close-knit group of friends whose family members were allegedly abandoned by the Hallfords after death at the funeral home gathered at the El Paso County Courthouse on Friday and said they have mixed feelings about a plea deal. The group says they collectively plan to work to change Colorado's funeral home laws, raise money for families affected by funeral home misconduct and educate people about what to expect when a loved one dies. They also want to everyone to remember their loved ones as they fight for justice.

"Every single one of them was so much more than what we've had to go through," one member of the group said. "There's no explanation for this (crime) at all."