The owner of a Colorado funeral home has received a maximum sentence after being found guilty of hiding nearly 190 bodies and providing fake ashes to grieving families. Jon Hallford, the owner of Nature To Nature Funeral Home, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday for defrauding clients and filing false claims for nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 aid. He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court last year.
In addition to the federal charges, Hallford also pleaded guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse in state court, with sentencing expected in August. During the federal hearing, prosecutors recommended a 15-year sentence, while Hallford’s defense team requested 10 years.
Judge Nina Wang emphasized the unusual nature of the case, noting that it deserved a severe sentence due to the emotional toll it took on the families involved. “This is not a normal fraud case,” she stated.
Leading up to his sentencing, Hallford expressed remorse, claiming he started the funeral home with good intentions before things spiraled out of control. “I am very sorry for what I do,” he told the judge, adding that he still feels guilt over his actions.
Hallford and his wife, Curry, were accused of keeping the bodies from 2019 to 2023 and sending families false ashes. Investigators discovered conditions so unsanitary that they found insects crawling over the stacked bodies in their facility located in Penrose, Colorado.
The FBI described the grotesque scene: Some rooms were inaccessible due to the piles of bodies, and agents had to navigate liquid pooling on the floors. Many families were devastated to learn that their loved ones had not been cremated and that the ashes they received were not authentic. There were even instances where the wrong body was buried.
Victims have reported psychological distress from the incident. Colton Sperry recounted how his grandmother’s body went undiscovered for four years, leaving him devastated. He revealed how this trauma led him into a deep depression, eventually requiring hospitalization and mental health treatment.
Another victim, Derrick Johnson, traveled 3,000 miles to testify about the fate of his mother. He described nightmares about her body and lamented Hallford’s apparent indifference while he profited from the tragedy. “My mother’s cremation money probably helped him enjoy luxuries,” Johnson stated.
Meanwhile, Hallford’s wife, Curry, faces her own set of legal troubles. She is scheduled for a federal trial in September, the same month as her upcoming state case for the 191 counts of corpse abuse.
