Latest news with #MilesHarford
Associated Press
11-06-2025
- Associated Press
Colorado funeral homeowner who left corpse in hearse for a over a year sentenced to 18 months
DENVER (AP) — A Colorado funeral homeowner who pleaded guilty to leaving a woman's corpse in the back of a hearse for over a year and improperly stashing the cremated remains of at least 30 people has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, the Denver District Attorney's Office announced. Miles Harford, 34, pleaded guilty in April to one felony count of abuse of a corpse and one misdemeanor count of theft. He faced other counts, including forgery and theft, that were dismissed as part of his plea agreement. His 18-month sentence is the maximum sentence under Colorado law for the charges. 'Nothing will ever undo the terrible pain that Miles Harford caused so many families, but it is our hope that this sentence will provide the family and friends of the deceased with some measure of justice,' Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement Monday. 'Harford systematically and shockingly violated his professional and moral obligations, and, for that, he is now being held accountable.' Harford was arrested last year after the body of a woman named Christina Rosales, who died of Alzheimer's at age 63, was found in the back of his hearse, covered in blankets. Her remains had been there for about 18 months. Authorities said he had provided the Rosales family with the cremated remains of a different person that he misrepresented as Rosales. Police also found the cremated remains of other people stashed in boxes throughout Harford's rental property, including in the crawlspace. Prosecutors said he treated the bodies and remains 'in a way that would outrage normal family sensibilities.' Harford's sentencing follows years of other gruesome funeral home cases in Colorado, including one where the owners were accused of storing nearly 200 bodies in a decrepit building and giving families fake cremated remains.
CBS News
09-06-2025
- CBS News
Judge sentences Colorado funeral home owner who kept woman's body inside a hearse for more than a year
The former owner of a Colorado funeral home was sentenced on Monday to 18 months in prison. In April, Miles Harford pleaded guilty to one felony count of abuse of a corpse and theft, a misdemeanor. Miles Harford Arapahoe County More than a year ago police found the remains of a 63-year-old woman in a hearse that had been sitting on a Denver street for about 18 months. Her name was Christina Rosales, and her family had thought they were provided with Rosales' cremated remains. They had actually been given the ashes of a different person who died. Boxes of cremated remains were also found in Harford's home on Quitman Street. Harford was being evicted from the home at the time. Eighteen months was the maximum sentence that Harford could have faced. The home on Quitman Street in Denver that Harford was evicted from CBS Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a prepared statement that Harford caused "terrible pain" to many different families. "It is our hope that this sentence will provide the family and friends of the deceased with some measure of justice," Walsh said. "Harford systematically and shockingly violated his professional and moral obligations, and, for that, he is now being held accountable." Miles Harford LinkedIn Harford's funeral home closed about a year-and-a-half before he was arrested. Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services was located in Littleton.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Funeral home owner who left corpse in hearse for a over a year pleads guilty
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado funeral home owner accused of leaving a woman's corpse in the back of a hearse for over a year and improperly stashing the cremated remains of at least 30 people pleaded guilty in court Monday to one count of corpse abuse and one count of theft. Miles Harford's guilty plea in Denver follows years of other gruesome funeral home cases in Colorado, including one where the owners were accused of storing nearly 200 bodies in a decrepit building and giving families fake cremated remains. Harford, 34, faced a dozen counts including forgery, theft and four counts of abuse of a corpse, which prosecutors described as treating bodies or remains 'in a way that would outrage normal family sensibilities.' The plea agreement dismisses the rest of the counts, but the judge said the agreement requires that all victims be named within the two charges Harford pleaded guilty to, and that he would be liable for restitution including for the dismissed counts. Harford was arrested a year ago after the body of a woman named Christina Rosales, who died of Alzheimer's at age 63, was found in the back of a hearse, covered in blankets, along with cremated remains of other people stashed throughout Harford's rental property, including in the crawlspace. Harford is represented by lawyers from the state public defender's office, which does not comment on its cases to the media. There were no other details in the court hearing on the charges, including how much money was taken from victims or how corpses were abused. The funeral home cases over the years prompted lawmakers to pass sweeping new regulations of the funeral home industry in Colorado last year, which previously had little oversight. The sentencing is scheduled for June 9. ___ Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press
14-04-2025
- Associated Press
Funeral home owner who left corpse in hearse for a over a year pleads guilty
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado funeral home owner accused of leaving a woman's corpse in the back of a hearse for over a year and improperly stashing the cremated remains of at least 30 people pleaded guilty in court Monday to counts of corpse abuse and theft. Miles Harford's guilty plea in Denver follows years of other gruesome funeral home cases in Colorado, including one where the owners were accused of storing nearly 200 bodies in a decrepit building and giving families fake cremated remains. Harford, 34, faced a dozen counts of forgery, theft and abuse of a corpse, which prosecutors described as treating bodies or remains 'in a way that would outrage normal family sensibilities.' The plea agreement dismissed the rest of the charges, but the judge said the agreement requires that all victims be named within the two charges Harford pleaded guilty to, and that he would be liable for restitution including for the dismissed counts. Harford was arrested a year ago after the body of a woman named Christina Rosales, who died of Alzheimer's at age 63, was found in the back of a hearse, covered in blankets, along with cremated remains of other people stashed throughout Harford's rental property, including in the crawlspace. Harford is represented by lawyers from the state public defender's office, which does not comment on its cases to the media. There were no other details in the court hearing on the charges, including how much money was taken from victims or how corpses were abused. The funeral home cases over the years prompted lawmakers to pass sweeping new regulations of the funeral home industry in Colorado last year, which previously had little oversight. The sentencing is scheduled for June 9. ___ Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
