COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Return to Nature Funeral Home owners Jon and Carie Hallford appeared in state court on Friday to plead guilty to 190 counts of abusing a corpse.

The funeral home located in Penrose, about 35 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, came under a multi-agency 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.

Last month, the pair appeared in federal court. At that hearing, both Hallfords pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, with the remaining 14 counts to be dismissed via the plea agreement once accepted by the court.

On Friday, Judge Eric Bentley accepted the state pleas, but is reserving judgment until sentencing on whether to accept the plea agreement that would put Jon behind bars for 20 years and Carie between 15-20.

The prosecution briefly went over victim objections to the plea agreement. Out of the 267 victims in consistent communication with attorneys, six wanted to speak in front of the court Friday to object. Their objections claim the time the pair is estimated to serve is insufficent due to their conduct.

Judge Bentley did not allow victims to speak, but instead explained they will have an opportunity at sentencing to make their voices heard. Victims can choose to either object to the plea or provide an impact statement.

After the entry of guilty pleas, bond was revoked for Carie, who has remained out of custody on bond. As officers placed handcuffs on Carie, many of the victims in the courtroom elected to stand up and applaud the decision. Judge Bentley explained the reasoning for revoking bond was because Carie no longer has that right to bond following the entry of a guilty plea.

The two will appear next in state court on April 18 for sentencing; the federal hearing is set for March.

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