Return to Nature co-owners' plea hearing postponed due to weather
Snowstorms across Colorado causing court closures have forced the cancellation of the plea hearing for the owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, Jon and Carie Hallford, that was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Scott Sosebee, a spokesman for the El Paso County Combined Courts, confirmed to The Gazette that the Hallfords' plea hearing was postponed because of the court closures Friday, and that the hearing would be moved to a later date. Sosebee said that the new date for the plea hearing has yet to be finalized.
The funeral home, about 35 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, came under a multiagency investigation in October 2023 after reports of a complaint about a foul odor in the area. Investigators said they found nearly 190 bodies in various states of decomposition that were not properly stored.
In July, the Hallfords were offered a plea deal in their state-level case, where they face 286 criminal charges. On Friday, Jon and Carie Hallford could have entered a plea on state-level charges after their past several hearings were delayed, due in part to their federal case taking priority.
In October both Jon and Carie Hallford pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in federal court. The couple will be sentenced March 20 and face a maximum of 15 years in prison, according to the terms of the plea agreement.
The state plea deal, if accepted, could see the Hallfords spend up to 20 years in prison.
Jon Hallford is being held without bond pending the outcome of his federal case, despite being released on a $100,000 bond in his state case. Carie Hallford remains free on a $100,000 bond.
