COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A former Colorado funeral home owner who helped her ex-husband hide nearly 200 decomposing bodies was sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday in a case that forced the state to clamp down on an industry plagued by repeated scandal and notoriously lax oversight.

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Carie Hallford faced between 25 and 35 years in prison under a plea agreement. Some family members of those whose bodies were left to rot had urged Judge Eric Bentley to impose the maximum sentence. But the judge said Carie Hallford made credible claims of being a victim of domestic violence and her ex-husband, Jon Hallford, was the driving force in their relationship.

Bentley added that 30 years was a “staggeringly huge sentence” and appropriate for her crimes.

Jon Hallford was sentenced to 40 years on corpse abuse charges at a February hearing in which he was called a “monster” by relatives of the victims.

Carie Hallford was the public face of Return to Nature, dealing with bereaved customers at the couple’s funeral home in Colorado Springs. Jon Hallford performed much of the physical work, including at a second location south of Colorado Springs in Penrose.

That’s where authorities found bodies piled throughout a bug-infested building after neighbors complained about a foul odor in 2023.

One of those corpses was the mother of Tanya Wilson, who told Bentley on Friday that the family released what they thought were her ashes from a boat in Hawaii. It turned out her body was lying in toxic fluids on the floor of the Hallfords’ makeshift mortuary. Like other Return to Nature customers, the family received fake ashes instead of the cremated remains they were promised.

They had prepared her mother’s body for meeting her Korean ancestors in the afterlife, Wilson said. To preserve her dignity, they brushed her hair, applied her favorite moisturizer and dressed her in special clothes to preserve the dignity she had in life.

“Carie Hallford annihilated that dignity,” Wilson said.

Carie Hallford apologized in court Friday, saying she was raised to know right from wrong but had lost who she once was.

She fought back tears as she said her marriage had been “a convoluted web of lies, deceit and abuse.” She said she was not a monster but deserved punishment.

Discovery of corpses spurred first routine inspections

Prosecutors have alleged that the Hallfords were motivated by greed. They charged more than $1,200 per customer, and authorities said the amount they spent on luxury items would have covered the cremation costs many times over.

The case became the most egregious in a string of allegations involving Colorado funeral homes as details emerged about the their lavish spending and their pattern of defrauding customers.

Colorado had been the only state that did not regulate funeral homes before lawmakers adopted recent changes. The Hallfords’ case prompted laws mandating routine inspections and adopting a funeral director licensing system.

State inspectors acting under the new law last year found 24 decomposing bodies and multiple containers of bones behind a hidden door of a funeral home owned by the Pueblo County coroner and his brother. It was the first inspection of that Pueblo mortuary.

Before the bodies were found at Penrose, a mother and daughter who operated a funeral home in the western Colorado city of Montrose were sentenced to federal prison after being accused of selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes. In 2024, authorities in Denver arrested a financially troubled former funeral home owner who kept a body in a hearse for two years at a house where police also found the cremated remains of at least 30 people.

Carie Hallford was ‘the one who fed the monster’

Carie Hallford asked for leniency in March when she was sentenced in the federal fraud case, saying she was a victim of abuse and manipulation in her marriage.

Her attorney, Michael Stuzynski, said Friday said Carie Hallford initially believed what happened at Return to Nature was entirely her fault. He said she had a “lonely, gray and terrifying existence” and found solace in the interactions she had with the funeral home’s customers.

But Chief Deputy District Attorney Rachael Powell said Jon Hallford couldn’t have carried out the crimes alone. While his actions were gruesome, Powell said, Carie Hallford was the one manipulating clients as she smiled and took their money, knowing she was lying to them.

“She solicited bodies and took the checks. She fed Jon the bodies,” Powell said.

The Associated Press left voicemail and email messages with Jon Hallford’s attorney seeking comment on the abuse allegations.

The Hallfords, who divorced following their arrest, received prison sentences in the related federal fraud case — 18 years for Carie and 20 years for Jon. They have each appealed.

Plea agreements call for the Hallfords’ state prison sentences to be served concurrently with the federal sentences.

Authorities recovered 189 sets of remains from the Penrose building and said another two bodies were improperly buried. Two of the remains have not yet been identified, but officials continue trying, Fremont County coroner Randy Keller said.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Feet away from the line of blue umbrellas providing shade for beachgoers at Fort DeRussy Beach Park, there is often a row of tents sheltering homeless people.

Unlike other homeless clusters throughout Waikiki and the rest of Oahu that typically sit on the outskirts of public spaces, the encampment sits right on the beach for all to clearly see.

“I didn’t expect it, I thought it would be a nicer area, cleaner, then you get people like that that affect the area, make it look trashy,” visitor Aiden Moffett said.

Some trash and abandoned belongings appeared to have been left behind this week, but there were hardly any tents after Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel cleared them out between April 1 and 2.

The effort was a part of a monthly, joint operation to remove homeless encampments at Fort DeRussy, as well as the Ala Wai, Hilton Lagoon, and Waikiki Beach.

“Fortunately, there’s not any around here anymore, but I do hate to see it anywhere,” said visitor Patricia Orr.

Several visitors have been complaining about the camp on the military reservation, with some posting about it on social media.

A few guests at the Hale Koa Hotel also mentioned the tents in reviews on TripAdvisor.

One profile from Santa Clarita, California titled their April 16 post, “Need to (get) rid of ghetto tents on beaches,” adding, “This year for the first time, homeless tents line the beach. Imagine renting the highest rate room and stepping out on the lanai to a view of a beach gone ghetto. Shame on you, Hawaii. Your biggest revenues come from tourism. Literally thousands of other vacation destinations exist.”

Other beachgoers were not bothered.

“If it’s not a bunch of trash all around, then I think it’s fine, and if they’re staying in their tents or not causing a mess, then it’s good,” visitor Landen Maley shared.

The U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii told Hawaii News Now:

“U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii is aware of the concerns regarding the encampment located on the beach near the Hale Koa Hotel and understands the impact this situation has on the community. We are working closely with our City and County of Honolulu, State of Hawaii and other local partners to help ensure the area remains safe, orderly, and accessible for all who use it.

Adding to the complexity of this issue, multiple agencies share responsibility for this area. The beach zone—from the beach walk concrete to the high‑water line—is under the jurisdiction of the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, which is responsible for enforcement and any required clearance actions in that space. The area extending from the beach walk concrete to Kalia Road falls under the jurisdiction of U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii.

As part of a coordinated team effort, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii will continue to support our partners in their response efforts, maintain safety for all users, and assist agencies and private organizations with the expertise to provide care and services to those who do not have a home. Together, we remain committed to addressing this issue in a respectful manner that considers the needs of all affected—those experiencing homelessness, visitors, beachgoers, and the broader community.”

DLNR responded to our request for comment with the following:

“The most recent DLNR cleanup of the Ala Wai, Hilton Lagoon, Ft. Derusy, and Waikiki Beach was April 1-2. Cleanups of this area occur about once a month during the late night to early morning hours and are typically joint operations with DLNR, City and HDOT working together to address multiple jurisdictions jointly. HPD and DOCARE both conduct patrols to support enforcement efforts between cleanups.

The military provides support by having Hale Koa’s security standing by to ensure no personal property goes on federal property. US Army Garrison Hawaiʻi has reached out to DLNR staff to see how the Army can assist further and are looking into options.”

City officials provided the following statement:

“This continues to be a coordinated effort between the City, the State, and our nonprofit partners to address ongoing concerns in the area.

We are working closely with State and DLNR partners to facilitate additional joint operations that will allow us to move forward more effectively.

Our focus remains on balancing compassionate outreach with the need to address illegal activity and restore the area for the broader community.”

The Idaho Department of Lands will host a wildfire preparation meeting for people living near the lower Snake and Salmon rivers at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Wet Ever Boat Shop at 1030 16th Ave., Clarkston.

Fire specialists from the IDL Craig Mountain Forest Protective District will speak about fire prevention, how the department manages fire suppression efforts and how those efforts can differ when a complex incident management team is called in to take over large fires.