Colorado funeral home ordered to pay $950 million for rotting bodies

DENVER (AP) — The owners of Colorado funeral homes who allegedly stockpiled their belongings 190 rotting bodies and grieving families were sent fake ashes, was ordered by a judge to pay $950 million to the victims’ relatives in a civil case, the attorney announced Monday.

The judgment is unlikely to be paid as the owners have been in financial trouble for years, making it largely symbolic. The owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, Jon and Carie Hallford, did not acknowledge the civil case and did not show up for hearings, said the attorney representing families, Andrew Swan.

The Hallfords, who own Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, about an hour south of Denver, face criminal charges in separate cases.

Jon Hallford is represented by the public defender’s office, which does not comment on cases. Carie Hallford’s attorney, Michael Stuzynski, was not immediately available for comment.