DENVER — Thursday the owners of a funeral home where nearly 200 bodies were found decomposing will be in federal court to change their plea from not guilty to guilty.
It's been one year since the bodies were found in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, about 35 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. The owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, were arrested and have been charged with multiple crimes.
They include both federal and state charges. Thursday's hearing is for those federal charges.
According to court documents, the couple received nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 federal relief funds in 2020 and 2021.
Instead of using the money for business expenses, court documents say the Hallfords used the money for vacations, entertainment, and cosmetic procedures.
WATCH: What Did The Hallfords Use The Alleged Stolen Money On?
Prosecutors also accuse the couple of collecting $130,000 from customers over four years for cremation or burial services that never happened. Instead - prosecutors said the Hallfords gave the customers concrete mix instead of the ashes of their loved ones.
They allegedly hid this illegal activity by allowing 190 bodies to decompose in the funeral home in Penrose.
Some of the families impacted by this case said even though the couple may spend time behind bars, the thoughts of what happened to their loved ones will be at the forefront of their minds.
"Trying to go on with our lives but I have moments where I just stop and cry and I can't control it because it just hurts me. I feel the hurt and pain of the disrespect that they did to my grandmother's body," said Samantha Naranjo in an interview with Scripps News Denver.
Originally the couple pleaded not guilty to the federal charges but are expected to change their pleas after a plea deal was offered in September.
WATCH: Families React After Plea Deal Offered To Funeral Home Owners
Families of victims tell News5 that federal prosecutors are seeking 15 years in prison for each of them.
KOAA News5 has a full timeline of the developing events of the Return to Nature Funeral Home.
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