Judge Rejects Plea Deal in Funeral-Home Scandal After Families Say 15–20 Year Term Is Too Lenient

Judge Rejects Plea Deal in Return to Nature Funeral-Home Case

DENVER — A Colorado judge on Monday refused to accept a plea agreement for the owner of a funeral home accused of storing roughly 190 decomposing bodies in an insect-infested building and giving families fake ashes.

State District Judge Eric Bentley said the proposed 15- to 20-year sentence "does not adequately account for the harms that these crimes have caused," explaining his uncommon decision to reject the agreement reached by prosecutors and defense counsel for Carie Hallford.

Allegations and family reactions

Prosecutors say Carie Hallford and her husband, Jon Hallford, operated Return to Nature Funeral Home and stored remains between 2019 and 2023 in a Penrose, Colorado, building about two hours south of Denver. Families say the couple provided fake ashes while the remains were left to decay alongside dozens of others.

"They put my mother on a floor covered in maggots, leaving a permanent mark on my soul," said Tanya Wilson. Samantha Naranjo added that she can no longer enjoy decorating for Halloween because she keeps imagining where her grandmother's body lay.

Both Hallfords previously pleaded guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse. On Monday, several family members urged the court to impose nearly 200 years in prison for Carie Hallford — roughly one year for each body discovered — saying they sought acknowledgment of each victim's dignity rather than revenge.

Court outcome and next steps

After Judge Bentley rejected the plea agreements, Carie Hallford withdrew her guilty plea, clearing the way for a potentially monthslong criminal trial beginning next year. Jon Hallford had earlier withdrawn his plea and is also scheduled for trial.

Bentley emphasized that Carie was allegedly the public face of Return to Nature and that her representations to customers, which prosecutors say were false, helped sustain the Hallfords' alleged misconduct. He also pointed to the broader harm to the community and to nearly 1,000 other customers who now question what happened to their relatives' remains.

Wider context and related investigations

The judge said deterrence factored into his decision, noting that Colorado long had among the loosest funeral-industry regulations in the nation — a regulatory gap that contributed to multiple abuse cases involving fake ashes, fraud and even allegations of illegally selling body parts. In a related incident this year, inspectors found 24 decomposing corpses behind a hidden door at a funeral home run by the Pueblo county coroner; that investigation is ongoing.

The Return to Nature revelations helped prompt reforms, including routine inspections of funeral facilities.

Federal charges and sentences

In federal court, both Hallfords admitted to defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration of nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief and to taking payments from customers for cremations that were never performed. Authorities say the couple spent proceeds on luxury purchases including a GMC Yukon, cosmetic procedures, vacations, jewelry and cryptocurrency. Jon Hallford has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison; Carie Hallford's federal sentencing is scheduled for December.

Judge Bentley: "The sentence negotiated by the parties does not adequately account for the harms that these crimes have caused."