Last week in 4th Judicial District courtrooms, an El Paso County judge handed down the maximum sentence for the man convicted of a 2022 homicide, and another denied a bond reduction request for a roommate accused of kidnapping and sexual assault.

More hearings are in store for the upcoming week. Notably, Hanme Clark, the man accused of committing a triple homicide out of Custer County in 2023, is set to begin trial.

Monday-Clark’s three-week trial begins

Clark, 47, 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. Daulton’s wife, Patty Daulton, survived the Nov. 20, 2023, shooting but sustained serious injuries, according to previous Gazette reporting.

The shooting took place near the victims’ homes, which were in a secluded Rocky Ridge Road neighborhood 8 miles northeast of Westcliffe.

Arrested alongside Clark in November 2023 was Nancy Medina-Kochis, another suspect in the case, later charged with five counts of being an accessory to a crime — all lower-level felonies. She pleaded not guilty to all five counts, court records show. Her jury trial is set to begin in April.

According to court records, Clark’s case was moved from Custer County to Fremont County in June 2025 after a judge granted a change of venue request.

Thursday

The longtime owner of the award-winning Colorado Springs restaurant Carlos’ Bistro, accused of sexual assault on a waitress trainee, will appear in court Thursday for his preliminary hearing.

Carlos Echeandia, 62, faces two counts of sexual assault and one misdemeanor count of sexual contact after allegations arose that he made unwanted sexual advances toward the woman inside the restaurant off 21st Street during her training in spring.

Echeandia does have the legal right to waive the preliminary hearing and proceed with the trial as charged.

Friday

Jon Hallford, co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, is set to wrap up his cases after more than two years, with his state sentencing scheduled for Friday.

Jon and Carie Hallford came under investigation in October 2023 after a “foul odor” complaint on their Penrose Return to Nature site 35 miles southwest of Colorado Springs resulted in the discovery of over 190 decomposing bodies. The pair faced state and federal charges. 

Jon Hallford, 46, has already been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges, but has since appealed the sentence.

Judge Eric Bentley separately rejected the Hallfords’ initial state plea agreements in 2025 after outcry from affected families over the length of the sentences and desire for a trial. The original plea agreement stipulated a 20-year prison sentence each to run concurrently with their federal sentences. 

A December plea agreement was accepted by Bentley, despite even more outcry from the families. The agreement stipulates a 30- to 50-year prison sentence for Jon Hallford.

Trials for Jon and Carie Hallford were scheduled to begin in February and October, respectively, and were to last possibly months.

Stay with The Gazette this week to learn more about these hearings and others.