A funeral home owner in the U.S. state of Colorado has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for leaving about 200 bodies to decompose in a building for years and giving families fake ashes. Family members told Judge Eric Bentley that they have suffered recurring nightmares about rotting flesh and worms since learning what happened to their loved ones. They described the defendant, John Halfford, as a "monster" and urged the judge to sentence him to the maximum penalty of 50 years. Before the sentence was handed down, Halfford, the funeral home owner, apologized and said he would regret his actions for the rest of his life. His former wife, Carrie Halfford, who co-owned the funeral home with him, is also set to be sentenced. She faces a prison term of 25 to 35 years.
