An El Paso County judge on Thursday ruled that the Return to Nature Funeral Home owners will face separate trials.

Jon and Carie Hallford face 286 criminal charges stemming from the discovery of 189 bodies improperly stored at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose.

The funeral home came under a multi-agency investigation in October after reports of a complaint about a foul odor in the area. Investigators said they found more than 180 bodies in various states of decomposition there that were not properly stored. The Hallfords were arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023.

The Hallfords appeared in court Thursday morning for an arraignment hearing, where each defendant was expected to enter not-guilty pleas on all charges.

To open the hearing, Judge William Moller ruled on a motion from the prosecution to join the Hallfords’ cases. Attorneys representing Jon Hallford objected, and attorneys representing Carie Hallford filed a theory-of-defense motion with the court outlining how having the cases joined would be prejudicial to Carie Hallford’s defense.

Carie Hallford’s attorneys did not elaborate on their theory.

Moller opted to rule on the side of the defense, stating that it would be “antagonistic” to Carie Hallford’s defense to have the cases joined.

Attorneys representing the Hallfords were prepared to enter not-guilty pleas, but complications with shifting court divisions and the Hallfords’ federal court case put a hold on entering pleas.

In March, the court had set a tentative date of Oct. 14 for trial for the Hallfords, but prosecutor Rachael Powell told the court the trial in the Hallfords’ federal case is set for Oct. 22, making the original scheduled date unavailable.

In April, the Hallfords appeared in federal court in Denver and pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of wire fraud.

Additionally, Judge Eric Bentley is set to take over the case starting in July due to Moller moving to a new division. Because of the complications, the court decided to postpone the arraignment until July 11 so Bentley can be on the bench when trial dates are set.

Because of the new federal charges, Jon Hallford is now being held on a no-bond hold pending the outcome of his federal case, despite being released on a $100,000 bond in his state-level case.

Jon Hallford appeared to court wearing an orange jumpsuit. Carie Hallford appeared in court Thursday. She is on house arrest and remains out on bond.

Outside the courthouse after the hearing, impacted family members who used Return to Nature’s services were disappointed by the perceived “special treatment” Carie Hallford received as she was escorted through a back exit to avoid crowds following the hearing.

“It’s ridiculous. We need to have an opportunity to confront them, to find out,” Heather DeWolf, whose son Zach has not yet been identified as one of the set of remains at the funeral home on Oct. 4.

“They’re going to see my face every single time that they’re in the courtroom,” Angelika Stedman said.

Stedman’s daughter, Chanelle Chaloux, was supposed to have been cremated through Return to Nature. Instead, Stedman told The Gazette on Thursday that she received a bag of cement.

“I think the public needs to be aware of all these things and not lose interest. They need to keep hearing us,” Stedman said.

“I was hoping that they would plead not guilty today because I want it to go for trial. There’s a lot in the investigation that they aren’t releasing at all that we could find out.”