Colorado judge rejects plea deal for funeral home owner in corpse abuse case

Jon Hallford, with wife Carie, took money for cremations only to stash decaying bodies without families' knowledge

A judge on Friday rejected a plea agreement for a Colorado funeral home owner who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses, after family members described the pain and shame they've carried since learning their loved ones' bodies were left to rot.

The rare decision to reject the plea agreement that called for a 20-year prison sentence followed anguished testimony from family members seeking a more severe punishment.