Latest from New York Post
New York Post
28 minutes ago
- New York Post
Colorado funeral home owner who stashed nearly 190 decaying bodies sentenced to 20 years in prison
A Colorado funeral home owner who stashed nearly 190 dead bodies in a decrepit building and sent grieving families fake ashes received the maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison on Friday, for cheating customers and defrauding the federal government out of nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 aid. Jon Hallford, owner of Return to Nature Funeral Home, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court last year. Separately, Hallford pleaded guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse in state court and will be sentenced in August. 6 Return to Nature Funeral Home owner Jon Hallford was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday. Muskogee County Sheriff's Office At Friday's hearing, federal prosecutors sought a 15-year sentence and Hallford's attorney asked for 10 years. Judge Nina Wang said that although the case focused on a single fraud charge, the circumstances and scale of Hallford's crime and the emotional damage to families warranted the longer sentence. 'This is not an ordinary fraud case,' she said. In court before the sentencing, Hallford told the judge that he opened Return to Nature to make a positive impact in people's lives, 'then everything got completely out of control, especially me.' 'I am so deeply sorry for my actions,' he said. 'I still hate myself for what I've done.' 6 Hallford stashed 190 dead bodies in a decrepit building. AP Hallford and his wife, Carie Hallford, were accused of storing the bodies between 2019 and 2023 and sending families fake ashes. Investigators described finding the bodies in 2023 stacked atop each other throughout a squat, bug-infested building in Penrose, a small town about a two-hour drive south of Denver. The morbid discovery revealed to many families that their loved ones weren't cremated and that the ashes they had spread or cherished were fake. In two cases, the wrong body was buried, according to court documents. 6 Investigators discovered that the ashes the funeral home sent to grieving families was fake. AP Many families said it undid their grieving processes. Some relatives had nightmares, others have struggled with guilt, and at least one wondered about their loved one's soul. Among the victims who spoke during Friday's sentencing was a boy named Colton Sperry. With his head poking just above the lectern, he told the judge about his grandmother, who Sperry said was a second mother to him and died in 2019. 6 Hallford and his wife ran the Return to Nature Funeral Home. Return to Nature Colorado Her body languished inside the Return to Nature building for four years until the discovery, which plunged Sperry into depression. He said he told his parents at the time, 'If I die too, I could meet my grandma in heaven and talk to her again.' His parents brought him to the hospital for a mental health check, which led to therapy and an emotional support dog. 'I miss my grandma so much,' he told the judge through tears. 6 Families impacted by the funeral home owner's lies and disturbing business decisions hugged each other after Hallford was sentenced. AP Federal prosecutors accused both Hallfords of pandemic aid fraud, siphoning the money and spending it and customer's payments on a GMC Yukon and Infiniti worth over $120,000 combined, along with $31,000 in cryptocurrency, luxury items from stores like Gucci and Tiffany & Co., and even laser body sculpting. Derrick Johnson told the judge that he traveled 3,000 miles to testify over how his mother was 'thrown into a festering sea of death.' 'I lie awake wondering, was she naked? Was she stacked on top of others like lumber?' said Johnson. 6 Chrystina Page, an impacted family member, yelled at Jon Hallford as he left a preliminary hearing on Feb. 8, 2024. AP 'While the bodies rotted in secret, (the Hallfords) lived, they laughed and they dined,' he added. 'My mom's cremation money likely helped pay for a cocktail, a day at the spa, a first class flight.' Jon Hallford's attorney, Laura H. Suelau, asked for a lower sentence of 10 years in the hearing Friday, saying that Hallford 'knows he was wrong, he admitted he was wrong' and hasn't offered an excuse. His sentencing in the state case is scheduled in August. Asking for a 15-year sentence for Hallford, Assistant US Attorney Tim Neff described the scene inside the building. Investigators couldn't move into some rooms because the bodies were piled so high and in various states of decay. FBI agents had to put boards down so they could walk above the fluid, which was later pumped out. Carie Hallford is scheduled to go to trial in the federal case in September, the same month as her next hearing in the state case in which she's also charged with 191 counts of corpse abuse.
New York Post
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Mathieu Darche adroitly avoided sentiment in important first Islanders draft
It's just unfortunate that Jeff Gorton didn't want Noah Dobson this badly seven years ago — or even at all — when, as the Rangers general manager, he could have selected the righty defenseman at ninth overall in the first round instead of choosing Vitali Kravtsov at the 2018 draft in Dallas. But no. But, fast-forwarding to Friday in his current position as Montreal's executive VP of hockey operations, Gorton oversaw the trade for Dobson by sending the Islanders the 16th and 17th selections in the first round plus winger Emil Heineman after the defenseman agreed to an eight-year extension at a $9.5 million AAV. Advertisement The deal, completed early in the day, makes a whole lot of sense for the Canadiens all day and every day.
New York Post
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Caitlin Clark-less Fever start fast and hang on to beat Wings
DALLAS — Kelsey Mitchell scored 32 points, and the Indiana Fever held on without the injured Caitlin Clark, taking a 22-point lead in the first quarter before finishing off a 94-86 victory over the Dallas Wings on Friday night. Clark's left groin injury spoiled what was supposed to be the first meeting of the past two No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft. The game was the first at the home of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks for the Wings, who took Paige Bueckers first overall this year. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell goes up for a basket against Wings center Li Yueru during the first half Friday in Dallas. AP The Wings, who are planning a move to downtown Dallas in the next couple of years, have played about 20 miles away on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington since moving to the area nine years ago. Bueckers sparked a rally by beating the first-half buzzer with a long 3-pointer after a steal and finished with 27 points despite a cold start from the field. The Wings took a lead in the fourth quarter after trailing by 23 in the first half, but couldn't overcome 26 percent shooting in the first 10 minutes. Arike Ogunbowale scored 15 for Dallas. Aliyah Boston scored 21 points and Natasha Howard had 15 points and 13 rebounds and three steals for the Fever, who made all 11 of their shots from inside the 3-point arc in the first quarter and shot 59 percent for the game. The absence of Clark, who missed a second consecutive game after sitting out five earlier this season with a quadriceps injury, didn't keep the crowd or the pro sports stars away. Fever players (from left) Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark react on the bench during the first half. AP The 20,000-seat American Airlines Center was nearly full, and among the fans were nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks, star pass rusher Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and Cooper Flagg. The 18-year-old Flagg was drafted No. 1 overall out of Duke by the Mavericks on Wednesday, a little more than two months after the Wings selected Bueckers. Flagg, who got a loud ovation when he was shown on the video board in the third quarter, was introduced to the Dallas media earlier Friday. Cade Cunningham, a Dallas-area resident and the No. 1 overall choice by the Detroit Pistons four years ago, sat near Parsons. Even with all the star power, there were plenty of Clark — and Fever — backers in the crowd, delighted by the quick start with the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year on the bench in street clothes. The Wings took their only lead at 80-79 on JJ Quinerly's three-point play midway through the fourth quarter. Aari McDonald started a clinching 9-0 run for the Fever with a bucket that broke an 82-82 tie.
New York Post
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Rangers stand pat in quiet first night at NHL draft as K'Andre Miller uncertainty lingers
Access the Rangers beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers. tRY IT NOW The Rangers were ultimately spectators during the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday in Los Angeles. After president and general manager Chris Drury decided to send the 12th pick to Pittsburgh instead of deferring the transfer to 2026 in order to wrap up the acquisition of J.T. Miller from January, the Blueshirts went without a first-rounder for the first time since 2022 and just the second time since they went without one from 2013-2016. Advertisement The entire day was an eventful one for their cross-state rivals, the Islanders, though, with Noah Dobson heading out to Montreal in a trade before first pick Matthew Schaefer was brought in. And who is the top pick looking forward to playing against the most? 'I'm saying Rangers,' Schaefer said. 'I heard there's a big rivalry. I want to play against the Rangers, and I want to beat them every single time we play them.' Advertisement 3 Chris Drury speaks to the media earlier this offseason. Robert Sabo for NY Post Friday night was just another step in a new era for the Islanders under general manager Mathieu Darche. The Rangers roster, however, remained the same as 32 players heard their names called inside the Peacock Theater. Drury's intentions to switch up the Rangers lineup and reshape the chemistry in the locker room are well known at this point in the offseason, but the market for arguably his biggest trade chip might not be what he had hoped. Advertisement Whether there haven't been any legitimate offers for restricted free agent K'Andre Miller or none have enticed Drury enough to pull the trigger, the uncertainty surrounding the 25-year-old defenseman could complicate the Rangers head honcho's plans. If Miller still is a Ranger by July 1, it's unclear how the organization would proceed. Perhaps it would increase the chances of the Minnesota native signing a one-year deal to stay in New York. The Rangers have been connected to pending free agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. Set to hit the market Tuesday if the Kings don't extend him, Gavrikov is expected to command around $7 million-$8 million per on his next contract. Advertisement 3 New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller (79) looks on against the Florida Panthers during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images It would be a challenge for Drury to fit both Miller and Gavrikov under the cap without other deals. Deals for RFAs Will Cuylle and Zac Jones still are needed as well. The Rangers are expected to have eight picks — Nos. 43, 70, 89, 111, 139, 166, 171 and 203 — to make Saturday, beginning with the second round. Miller actually is the last remaining first-round pick from the Rangers' stretch of six Round 1 selections from 2017-2019. Selected seventh in 2017, Lias Andersson was traded to the Kings in exchange for the Golden Knights' second-round pick in 2020 in October of that year. 3 New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller (79) leans in on Philadelphia Flyers Anthony Richard as he moves the puck at Madison Square Garden. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Filip Chytil, who was traded to Vancouver as part of the J.T. Miller trade in January, was taken just a few spots later at 21st in 2017. Advertisement Including Miller, the Rangers ultimately made three first-round picks in 2018, the first being Vitali Kravtsov at ninth. The young Russian eventually was traded to Vancouver in February 2023 after a four-year saga. Another first-round pick from that year who didn't pan out the way anybody imagined was defenseman Nils Lundkvist, who was shipped to Dallas in September 2022 in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in 2023 and a conditional fourth-rounder in this year's draft. Kaapo Kakko, the Rangers' prized second-overall pick in 2019, also was traded to Seattle this past season.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Enraged Wisconsin motorist caught on video thrashing ‘idiot' driver's car with stick in road rage rampage
A stick-swinging Wisconsin motorist went berserk and thrashed another driver's car in the middle of traffic during a road rage rampage caught on camera. The explosive footage captured the blood-soaked driver, identified as Mike Chaltry, storming out of his car and violently smashing the windows of a white Nissan behind him with a stick on a busy downtown Milwaukee freeway Tuesday afternoon. The Nissan quickly backed up during the chaotic attack and then lunged forward, nearly pinning the frenzied man against another car before attempting to speed off, the dramatic video showed. 4 Man hitting a car with a stick during a road rage incident. Minah Minah/Facebook 4 The Nissan then hit the man as it tried to speed off. Minah Minah/Facebook But Chaltry followed the car on foot and landed a few final whacks before the fiery clash fizzled out. 'I'm not the one who started it,' Chaltry told WISN 12 News following the tempestuous scuffle, admitting that he's now the 'face of road rage' in Milwaukee. 'I mean, he was driving like an idiot.' Chaltry claimed the intense encounter began when the other driver recklessly tried to cut him off on the highway as their bumpers nearly collided. The loose cannon recounted how the hot-headed motorist allegedly followed him off the highway before walking up to his driver's side window when they were stopped at a light and punching him multiple times in the face — prompting Chaltry to grab his stick and start swinging. 4 The Nissan nearly pinned the frenzied man against another car. Minah Minah/Facebook 'He sucker punched me through the window of my car and broke my nose – I got stitches,' Chaltry told the outlet, noting that he 'didn't see it coming.' 'He put my life in danger three times. When he hit me on the highway, when he punched me in the head and when he tried hitting me with his car. I think you saw that in the video. There's no need for that. I just don't get it. I was angry, but I had good reason to be angry. He didn't.' 4 The man with the stick approaches the car before getting in a few extra whacks. Minah Minah/Facebook Cops later arrested the unidentified Nissan driver for suspected battery — and hit him with citations for driving without both insurance and registration, the local outlet reported. Chaltry also faces possible charges for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property after his case was referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.
