Several major trials are set to commence next year, including the ones for the Return to Nature funeral home owners, who are being tried separately, and one for a triple-homicide suspect out of Custer County.

Here is a rundown of what to look out for in 2026 in the Pikes Peak region criminal justice world.

Hanme Clark – Feb. 2

The first major trial of the year is the one for Hanme Clark, who is accused of fatally shooting three of his neighbors — Rob Geers, his wife, Beth Wade Geers, and James Daulton — over what authorities suspect was a land dispute on Nov. 20, 2023.

According to court records, Clark’s case was moved from Custer County to Fremont County in June after a judge granted a change of venue request. The trial was scheduled to begin in September but was delayed due to the defense presenting witnesses after the required timeframe, per state law and the court’s order.

Jon Hallford – Feb. 9

After pushback from families of victims regarding his plea agreement, Jon Hallford is heading to trial after he and Carie Hallford came under investigation in October 2023. A search warrant on their Penrose Return to Nature property resulted in the gruesome discovery of nearly 190 decomposing bodies. The pair faced both state and federal charges.

Jon Hallford was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in July on wire fraud conspiracy charges. During what was supposed to be his state sentencing in August, Judge Eric Bentley heard objections from the victims to the stipulated state sentence, which was initially set at 20 years behind bars to run concurrently with the federal sentence. Bentley rejected the agreement, setting Jon Hallford up for a 2026 trial after a second agreement was also rejected.

Gerald Brooks and Jerome Scott – March

The two roommates accused of holding two runaways hostage and feeding them drugs and alcohol before sexually assaulting them are also set to go to trial in 2026.

Investigators arrested roommates Jerome Scott, 62, and Gerald Brooks, 68, in early July after detectives found the teenage girls inside an apartment on the south edge of downtown Colorado Springs.

Brooks’ trial is expected to commence on March 2, while Scott’s trial is set to begin on March 9. The pair were initially set for a joint trial, but differing defenses prompted the prosecution to request that they be separated.

Carie Hallford – Oct. 6

Bentley also rejected Carie Hallford’s state plea agreement in November that stipulated a 15- to 20-year sentence in the Department of Corrections to run concurrently to her federal sentence.

Carie Hallford officially filed for divorce from Jon Hallford in August, according to court records. The petition revealed that the pair separated on April 14, 2024, which came shortly after a federal grand jury indicted the couple on wire fraud charges on April 10, 2024.

Her trial is expected to last months, just as Jon Hallford’s is.

Stay with The Gazette in 2026 for coverage of these trials and more proceedings out of the 4th Judicial District.