DENVER • Over a year and a half after the discovery of nearly 190 decomposing bodies in the Penrose Return to Nature Funeral Home, one of the owners is expected to be sentenced Friday on conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to misuse of cremation and burial payments.

Owners Jon and Carie Hallford are facing both state and federal charges related to the funeral home affair. In October, both pleaded guilty on the federal level to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, with the remaining 14 counts to be dismissed via the plea agreement.

Initially, the Hallfords were expected to receive prison sentences of 78 months to 15 years. However, in March, Judge Nina Wang informed both defendants that her review found the plea agreements were “not in the public’s best interest.”

According to court records, Jon Hallford opted to keep his guilty plea, with the only change being an understanding that Wang could go above the originally expected maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Crystina Page, whose son David’s remains were found at Return to Nature in October 2023, objected to the initial plea agreement and sentencing range for the couple. Page told The Gazette she wanted the Hallfords to face trial because the families “have not even been given the right to understand what the crimes are.”

“To take away the ability to have trial and allow them to plead guilty and get a 15-year sentence is absolutely absurd,” Page said. “The victims of (the wire fraud) don’t even know who we are.”

According to the federal indictment, the Hallfords collected “in excess of” $130,000 from victims for cremation or burial services that were never provided. On at least two occasions, the wrong body was buried. “In a number of instances,” the Hallfords provided dry concrete mix to families instead of their loved one’s ashes, the indictment stated.

Carie Hallford opted to withdraw her federal plea. She is set to go to trial in September, according to court records.

Tanya Wilson, whose mother’s body was among those identified in Penrose, plans to fly in from Georgia for the Friday hearing and meet other victims’ families face to face for the first time. After attending all other proceedings virtually due to the distance, Wilson said she feels passionately about delivering her victim statement in person.

“It’s important to me for the court to understand the real-life impact of these crimes because it’s so much deeper than just wire fraud,” Wilson said.

While Friday is “not yet a victory,” Wilson said the hearing is a sign of progress after a “long and bumpy road” to get there.

“(The victims) are all emotionally and mentally drained so while I’m happy to see us finally get to this point, we still have such a long way to go,” Wilson said.

Page, who emerged as a community leader and hub of information for the families in the months following the gruesome discovery, plans to give a “silent” victim statement. To represent both the bodies found inside the home in October 2023 and those still unaccounted for, Page is bringing 1,200 glass beads to court Friday.

“There are 987 (people) still unidentified and unaccounted for that can never be accounted for, and therefore almost 1,000 families that will be forever in limbo,” Page said.

On the state level, the pair pleaded guilty to a plea agreement of 190 counts of abuse of a corpse in November.

The state plea agreements would see Jon Hallford sentenced to 20 years in prison while Carie Hallford faces a sentencing range of 15 to 20 years in prison.

Jon Hallford is expected to be sentenced on the state level in late August. As of this week, no state sentencing date has been set for Carie Hallford, as she still awaits trial in federal court.

She remains in El Paso County jail after being placed back into custody upon accepting the state plea agreement. Jon Hallford is in federal custody.