Former Funeral Home Owners Jon and Carie Hallford Face Sentencing After Guilty Pleas
A hearing is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 22, at 1:30 p.m. to determine the acceptance of guilty pleas from Jon and Carie Hallford, former owners of the now-closed Return to Nature Funeral Home in El Paso County. The Hallfords entered guilty pleas on Tuesday, Dec. 16, for the criminal cases they are facing. Both Jon and Carie Hallford have individual plea agreements, with Jon's sentencing tentatively set for Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, and Carie's sentencing tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 24. The couple was arrested on Nov. 8, 2023, and faced charges of corpse abuse, theft, money laundering, and forgery after 189 decomposing bodies were found at the Penrose location of their funeral home. Additionally, two bodies were improperly buried. A previous plea deal for the Hallfords was rejected by a district court judge in November 2025 for being too lenient. FOX21 News will provide updates on the hearing's outcome.