COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Carie Hallford, one half of the couple accused of improperly storing 190 bodies in their funeral home, was back in court Wednesday.
The Return to Nature funeral home owner will go to trial as a Colorado judge said there was enough probable cause in this case.
Along with the trial decision the judge lowered Hallford's bond from $2 million to $100,000. Jon Hallford also received the bond reduction.
2 News' partner Scripps station in Colorado Spring was in court Wednesday. They report the judge did not deem either of the Hallford's a threat to public safety. The judge said $100,000 is still ten is still ten times higher than was in normally given for this offense.
If the Hallford's post bail they are required to wear ankle monitor, surrender their passport, check in with the court three times a week and avoid contact with the families of the victims in the case.
Both were charged with 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, four counts of money laundering, five counts of theft and 61 counts of forgery.
2 News previously reported the Colorado couple was tracked down in Wagoner in November after allegedly fleeing the funeral home.
The arrest affidavit said Colorado authorities were first tipped off to the couple's funeral home after neighbors reported a horrible smell coming from the building.
Jon originally told investigating authorities that he was trying to learn how to do taxidermy and he thought something was going wrong, causing the smell.
Investigators fell suspicious of the couple when Jon missed an appointment with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agency, which governors the regulations and licensing of funeral homes, according to the affidavit.
When investigator went into the funeral home they discover the 190 bodies stacked on top of each other some dating back to 2019, according to the affidavit.
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After the discovery, Colorado authorities obtained a warrant to look at Jon and Caries cell phone records.
That is when a ping brought investigators to Wagoner. Federal agents carried out an arrest warrant for the couple.
Carie Hallford is going back to court on March 21 for a disposition and arraignment hearing. Jon Hallford is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 8 for his preliminary hearing.
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