After a horrible set of findings that shocked families in mourning nationwide, a Colorado man who ran a funeral home that had been transformed into a crime scene was given a sentence of 20 years in federal prison on Friday.
Return to Nature Funeral Home’s owner, Jon Hallford, accepted hoarding almost 190 human remains in the decaying structure of a building, and giving out fake ashes in addition to keeping $900,000 in COVID relief funds for his well-being.
Hallford’s wire fraud conviction is just the tip of the iceberg. In state court, he previously entered a guilty plea to 191 counts of corpse abuse; another sentencing will be decided in August. Judge Nina Wang rejected Hallford’s request for compassion in front of a courtroom filled with upset family members and cruel victim testimonies.
Instead, citing the “devastating emotional havoc” as justification, she enforced the maximum sentence.
The Hallfords kept human remains in insect-infested rooms in Penrose, Colorado, from 2019 to 2023. This was so disgusting that federal agents had to walk on makeshift planks above rotting fluids. Prosecutors said the ashes given to families were not only fake but, in some cases, bodies were mislabeled or buried in error.
Colorado Families Speak Through Their Grief
As families talked about the mental strain of figuring out that their loved ones were never cremated, the courthouse became an atmosphere of shared grief. In order to make an appearance before the court, Derrick Johnson went more than 3,000 miles. He talked shakily and strongly. He said that his beloved mother was “thrown into a festering sea of death.”
“While the bodies rotted in secret, (…) they laughed and they dined. (…) My mom’s cremation money likely helped pay for a cocktail, a day at the spa, a first-class flight.” Johnson says he has insomnia and can’t stop thinking of his mother, “Was she naked? Was she stacked on top of others like lumber?”
Colorado funeral home owner sentenced to 20 years for fraud
Jon Hallford, owner of Return to Nature Funeral Home will also face sentencing in August for state case after pleading guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse
Hallford stashed nearly 190 dead bodies in a decrepit…
1/2 pic.twitter.com/M7TnlXYyF5— ˶˃ NewsCat 📰🗞️NO DMs˂˶ (@typocatCAv2) June 27, 2025
The most heartbreaking declaration was delivered by young Colton Sperry, whose grandmother passed away in 2019. “If I die too, I could meet my grandma in heaven and talk to her again,” he said, breaking down.
He needed therapy and an emotional support dog because of the trauma that had led him to feel depressed. According to the charges, Hallford and his wife, Carie, took advantage of the grief for their benefit by using the money meant for funeral services for expensive things like a GMC Yukon, jewelry from Tiffany & Co., and body-sculpting treatments in spas.
What’s Next for the Hallfords and the Community They Betrayed?
While Jon Hallford has been sentenced federally, the case is far from over. In August, he will face sentencing for 191 counts of corpse mistreatment in Colorado state court. His wife, Carie Hallford, who has pleaded not guilty, will go to trial in September on similar federal charges. She is also awaiting proceedings on the state-level abuse charges.
Judge Wang mandated that Hallford make compensation of $1 million. However, not one penny of money can make things right for families like the Johnsons and Sperrys.
Remember Jon Hallford? You know. The owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home who just stacked up bodies instead of burying them?
He got 20 years after pleading guilty to federal conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges.
We always said in the FBI that wire fraud wasn’t sexy,… pic.twitter.com/Hd4HTYmIQA
— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) June 27, 2025
Johnson commented to KKTV, “He chose to treat our family members and loved ones like they weren’t human.”
Hallford’s Return to Nature funeral home, which started out as a place to “positively impact lives,” has ended up leaving a dark legacy of stolen rituals, shattered confidence, and destroyed memories.
