COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
A Colorado funeral home owner was sentenced to 40 years in prison Friday for stashing 189 decomposing bodies in a building over four years and giving grieving families fake ashes.
At his sentencing, Jon Hallford was denounced by heartbroken families as a “monster.” Relatives told Judge Eric Bentley they have suffered recurring nightmares about decomposing flesh and maggots since discovering what happened to their loved ones.
They urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 50 years.
Bentley told Hallford his crimes had caused “unspeakable and incomprehensible” harm.
“It is my personal belief that every one of us, every human being, is basically good at the core, but we live in a world that tests that belief every day, and Mr. Hallford, your crimes are testing that belief,” the judge said.
Before his sentencing, Hallford apologized, saying he would regret his actions for the rest of his life. “I had so many chances to put a stop to everything and walk away, but I did not,” he said.
“My mistakes will echo for a generation. Everything I did was wrong.”
By James Kisoo
