A 4th Judicial District judge on Friday rejected the state plea agreement for Jon Hallford, co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, during what was expected to be his sentencing hearing. 

Judge Eric Bentley said rejecting an agreement is “extreme action by the court, reserved for the most extreme cases.” Despite being asked to reject plea bargains before, Friday marked the first rejection in Bentley’s career in court in El Paso County. 

Jon and Carie Hallford were arrested in late 2023 after over 190 bodies in various states of decomposition were uncovered at the Penrose location. The couple faced both state and federal charges.

In June, Jon Hallford was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a separate plea agreement. His defense counsel has since appealed the sentence, court records show.

Return to Nature co-owner Jon Hallford receives maximum sentence in federal wire fraud case

The 20-year prison sentence Hallford was expected to receive Friday would have run concurrently with his federal sentence on wire fraud charges.

Bentley heard testimony Friday from a handful of victims who urged him to reject the plea agreement. Several of those who took the stand cried as they asked for the state sentence to run consecutively to the federal prison term instead of concurrently. 

“This is a lazy and unfair approach. … At the very least, he should serve a consecutive sentence,” said Tanya Wilson, whose mother was discovered inside the funeral home. “Anything less is an injustice to us all.”

Shelia and Gary Canfield-Jones called Hallford a “con man.” Their daughter was likely one of the first victims to be neglected by the Hallfords; investigators told the family her body was in the Penrose building for nearly four years. 

“They had the capacity to cremate every one of those bodies, and they made the decision not to,” Shelia Canfield-Jones said. “This was the same con man who conned us, and now he’s going to con the courts.”

Even as victims started to tear up and speak with shaky breaths, Jon Hallford did not react. Instead he sat between his defense counsel in cuffs, seemingly emotionless as he stared straight ahead. Many of those in the gallery were seen comforting each other, passing around tissues as emotions grew heavy.

During her statement to the court, Heather DeWolf, who used Return to Nature for her son, Zach, said she has nightmares nearly every night after finding out the news. While Zach’s body was never identified as one of the 191 found inside the Penrose location, DeWolf still isn’t sure whose ashes she has. 

“On some level, I’m jealous (of the victims,) because they know exactly what happened,” DeWolf said. “I don’t know whose ashes I have and I won’t ever know whose ashes I have.”

After hearing from over a dozen victims, Bentley said he was “very moved” by their statements. 

“I can’t imagine what it would be like for a person to go through what you’ve gone through,” Bentley said. 

Bentley deliberated for over an hour before rejecting the plea agreement. Upon his ruling, the courtroom exploded with emotion. Many victims gasped and quickly embraced each other in relief while some tears escaped their eyes. 

While explaining his decision, Bentley said the “extreme articulateness” of those who chose to object helped him reach his conclusion. 

“When trust is betrayed like that in that moment of vulnerability, I learned how hard it is to get past it,” Bentley said. “I heard a lot of rage, most of that rage was directed at the defendant, but I also heard rage by these victims for not being fully heard in this process.” 

Jon Hallford’s next appearance in district court is scheduled for Sept. 12. At that hearing, Hallford will advise the judge of his intentions in light of Friday’s ruling to reject the plea agreement. Hallford will have several options, including setting the case for trial on all 286 charges, which include abuse of a corpse, money laundering, theft and forgery.

After Friday’s hearing ended, many of the victims gathered outside. Crystina Page, whose son David was found inside the Penrose building, said she was not shocked by the ruling. 

“I wanted to believe in the justice system here for a really long time,” Page said. “When the judge started speaking today, his tone led me to believe that he was going to reject the plea.

“I think it speaks to the exceptions in this case and the depravity of their actions.”

Return to Nature: Carie Hallford enters plea deal, remains a 'liar' to one family

Carie Hallford is still awaiting sentencing after she entered into a federal plea agreement earlier this month that is likely to result in a 15-year prison sentence. Her sentencing hearing is set for December, and her state case remains in limbo until the conclusion of her federal case. 

Friday’s hearing came two days after a similar gruesome discovery began to unfold at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo during a routine inspection. Investigators say “around 20 or so” decomposing bodies — some going back 15 or more years — were found in a room hidden behind a cardboard display. One of the co-owners, Brian Cotter, is the Pueblo County coroner. 

Criminal investigation begins after 'around 20' decomposing bodies found in funeral home owned by Pueblo County coroner