(COLORADO) — Carie Hallford, one of the owners of the disgraced Return to Nature Funeral Home where nearly 200 decomposing bodies were found improperly stored, has withdrawn her guilty plea on federal charges and will instead go to trial.

The withdrawal of Carie’s plea at a status conference on Tuesday, March 4 means the case will now go to trial, though no date has been set yet, according to court documents.

Jon Hallford, Carie’s husband and co-defendant, accepted an amended plea agreement at the same status conference, which stipulates the court is not bound by previously agreed-upon terms and could impose a longer sentence than the 15 years he was previously facing. However, according to court documents, “the defendant [Jon] does not waive the right to appeal any sentence that exceeds 15 years of imprisonment.”

The Hallfords entered guilty pleas on state charges of corpse abuse at a hearing in November of 2024, during which Jon Hallford admitted that he knowingly stored the bodies in an improper way.

Courtesy: Muskogee County Detention Center, Jon and Carie Hallford Mugshots.

Carie Hallford also took the stand at that hearing, stating that Jon wanted to protect her from the conditions inside the funeral home and that she hadn’t gone inside the Penrose building for well over a year. However, she admitted that she knew about the conditions, did nothing to prevent it, and allowed what was happening inside to continue.

Previous court documents stated that any sentences on federal charges would be served concurrent to state sentences.

Jon Hallford’s sentencing hearing is set for March 20.