Date: 09-19-2025

Case Style: State of Colorado v. John Hallford

Case Number:

Judge: Not Available

Court: District Court, El Paso County, Colorado

Plaintiff's Attorney: El Paso County, Colorado District Attorney's Office

Defendant's Attorney:

Description: Colorado Springs, Colorado, criminal defense lawyer representing the Defendant charged with hundreds of felonies.

Jon Hallford entered a “Not Guilty” plea in the case stemming from a 2023 investigation into a Return to Nature Funeral Home-owned facility in Penrose, Colorado.

Law enforcement officers determined Jon Hallford and his wife, Carie Halford, owned the building where they discovered 189 bodies in various states of decomposition. The bodies had been improperly stored – many for several years – and lacked identifying information.

Mr. Hallford’s case is now set for trial beginning February 9, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in Division 8.

He is facing the following charges:

191 counts – Abuse of a Corpse; CRS 18-13-101, a Class 6 Felony
85 counts – Forgery; CRS 18-5-102(1)(e), a Class 5 Felony
4 counts – Money Laundering; CRS 18-5-309(1)(a)(II), a Class 3 Felony
31 counts – Theft (various levels of offense, ranging from a Class 2 Misdemeanor to Class 5
Felonies)

The Colorado Sentencing Schedule sets the following parameters on those crimes:

Class 6 Felony: Min. 1 year/Max 18 months
Class 5 Felony: Min. 1 year/Max 3 years
Class 3 Felony: Min. 4 years/Max 12 years
Class 3 Misdemeanor: $50 fine/Max 6 months

Outcome: A criminal charge is not proof of guilt.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: