var sc_security="9a0f0d6e"; As fate would have it, the couples Jeep Cherokee suddenly had a problem with one of its tires in the middle of the road. The Defendant vilified and chastised each Good Samaritan and rescuer that attempted to come to the aid of his critically injured wives; aid which he never gave nor intended to give. The most recent Harold Henthorn case update comes courtesy of NBCs Dateline, which devoted an entire two-hour episode to the bizarre chain of events that led to Henthorns conviction on a murder charge. Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. Toni Henthorn's brother, Todd Bertolet, told CBS4, "They're going to go after assets that should be in Toni's estate." Harold Henthorn news, trial, appeal updates, photos - The Denver Post / CBS Colorado. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Before becoming a detective hed spent decades moving his wife from base to base. The Defendant preyed on women of faith in a Christian environment because, as with Toni, Christian women move forward in life with goodness in their heart as opposed to vigilance in their eyes. The only witness to the accident was her husband. Is Harold Henthorn In Prison Now - Where Is He Today? - Mixedarticle The Defendants so called estate planning banked on and invested heavily in the premature demise of his wife. If you want to know more about this baffling case and where Harold Henthorn is today, we have you covered. Overwhelmed by the loss of the child, Toni never wanted to see the hurt in another persons eyes, much less a childs eyes. Harold told her he was a wealthy businessman who fundraised for schools and Churches. We feel some of the information in the article is misrepresented or incorrect, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock toldRolling Stone in a statement, but we still have an ongoing criminal investigation and are not at liberty to discuss the case any further.). She told Toni that Harold may have even been having an affair. It took Harold 45 minutes to get to her, and he claimed he performed CPR as best he could after dialing 911. The Defendant created his own reality and everyone in it. When Weaver finally left the Air Force and asked her where she wanted to live, she chose Denver. But I would be very careful. (Photo credits: Harold Henthorn case update via Dateline, Tyler Cipriani) Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Now that effort is laid to waste. Although Toni lived near her family in Mississippi and was a well-established opthalmologist, Harold persuaded her to leave her roots behind and move with him to Colorado. Feds say Henthorn pushed his wife over a cliff at Rocky Mountain National Park. Then, while she was standing below a raised porch with her back turned, Toni felt the weight of something heavy hit her on the neck and knock her to the ground. On May 6, 1995, Harold and Sandra were driving home after a day of hiking. Toni sat next to her mother saying nothing. Yvonne wanted Toni to say something, anything. Black Widower: How One Man Allegedly Murdered Two Wives. Man Found Guilty Of Pushing Wife Off Cliff For Insurance Money His bosses told him to work the case the same way he worked every other case, which meant to go where the truth led, no matter where it led. To others he said the flat tire actually bounced out; it was the spare, which he said he loosened, that fell and provided the impact necessary to jolt the Jeep off its moorings and crush his wife. The Defendant claimed to be financially wealthy, when, in fact he had no fortune at all. After being found guilty of first-degree murder, Harold received a life term in federal prison in 2015. And the only reason Weaver was even looking at this thin excuse for a file was that now that same husband was a widower once more. As the little boy lay on the emergency room table, he pointed to his head and moaned hurt..hurt. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Their only daughter was gone. Then he tried to get the car to fall. Selena Gomez vs. Hailey Bieber: Why Everyone Thinks They Need to Pick a Side. Toni Henthorn: 'Dateline' NBC Airs Rocky Mountain Death Fall Of Eye The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time The Dateline NBC episode 'Over the Edge' tells the story of Toni Henthorn who fell to her death while hiking with her husband Harold Henthorn in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2012. Shortly before her death, the change Harold made allowed for double the compensation if Lynn died as a result of an accident. How does she know that a trusted person is not lying to her? Then, when she found out that Lynn had died, she asked the follow-up question, the one record of her that still remained in the case file and made it clear how she felt about Harold. In 1994, Henthorn was arrested for shoplifting $47.49 worth of men's underwear from a JCPenney store. Children shouldnt have to sacrifice so that one can have the life one wants, one makes sacrifices so ones children can have the life that they deserve. The letter was from the Department of the Interior, which oversees every one of the countrys 417 national parks. He had done a lot: Two tours in Vietnam, a return to the country to help evacuate Saigon and 20 years patrolling Air Force bases. The wrongful death was affirmed by an attentive, intelligent, meticulous, and methodical jury that considered the facts and evidence in this case and reached the verdict of guilty of 1st degree murder. The lead investigator made mention of a partial print on the wheel well, above the missing tire, the same one that Lynn had supposedly been trying to help change when she was killed. Harold Henthorn was the only witness to both bizarre deaths of his two wives. We agonize over the question: Did Toni know she was being murdered and what were her thoughts as she fell 140 feet? The preparation of the Victim Statements by Barry, Todd and myself have helped us move ahead in the journey to recovery.Prepared by Bob Bertolet, October 19, 2015Amended December 5, 2015, My name is Todd Bertolet, and I am the younger brother of Toni Bertolet Henthorn.Toni Bertolet Henthorn was blessed with the gift of intellectual brilliance, impeccable character, extraordinary talents, and a big heart. Gacy was a popular Chicago contractor who entertained children in hospitals, yet also raped, tortured, and killed 33 young men. Finally, Detective Weaver took his foot and, in the same place where the original partial print was found, kicked the Jeep. The couple seemed quite happy initially and even gave birth to their only child, Haley, in 2005. Harold Henthorn talked to many different members of Douglas County law enforcement on May 6th, 1995, the night his wife Lynn died after being crushed underneath their Jeep Cherokee. Henthorn was able to keep his shoplifting arrest a secret from everyone who knew him. He had no real mentor to help him, Weaver said recently, in his first public comments since his retirement in August. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Haley Henthorn is the daughter of Harold Henthorn. : "http://www. From the time of Tonis death, the Defendant has made it abundantly clear that he just wanted to move on with his life. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. She told Toni she thought Harold wasnt working as much as he said he was, if at all. Did You Know Anxiety Can Enhance Our Relationships? Firstly, we wanted to be a strong voice for Toni and to seek justice in her behalf. Additionally, the police ascertained that Harold stood to gain substantial life insurance money following Tonis demise, which gave him a motive for murder. Tom Sizemore, Heat and Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dead at 61 The Douglas County Coroner had ruled Lynns death as accidental. Harold Henthorn, Colorado man, found guilty of murder - CBS News Henthorn has sociopathic tendencies, without doubt, but what makes this so challenging is that a murderer is typically not a sociopath. Video marketing. Then, he said, he saw nothing but a blurand Toni was no longer standing there. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Harold Henthorn pleaded not guilty and has always maintained his innocence. I disagree with the Defendants counsel when he proclaimed that the Defendant told lies to his detriment; the truth is the Defendant told lies for his direct benefit. It had been a full day, and the sun had set. "She contributed a lot to society, and to be wiped out for no good reason, it's more devastating." How does she know that grief and sadness will not fall upon her again at the hands of a person she trusted? "https://secure." Months later, when they got the news that she was dead, and that she had died while alone with Harold, her father Bob said what most in the family were already thinking. In addition, Henthorn has only been in the public eye since 2012, and was only sentenced last year, but his story really spans twenty years. He said he believed Henthorn's brother, who lives in Massachusetts, was served Monday in Denver federal court because "'obviously they knew he was there.". She had fallen 128 feet, and suffered numerous severe injuries. That woman on the mountain, she said. To one cop, Harold said the tire they pulled over to change was completely flat. On May 6, 1995, Harold and Lynndecided to go on a long drive along a highway in Sedalia, Colorado. How does she know that a person of perceived trust will not cause her harm? Harold Henthorn gets life sentence for shoving second wife off cliff A year after he was sentenced to life in prison, it doesnt look like Harolds appeal has yet been carried out. To one cop, Harold said that they were driving east. Harold Henthorn, convicted of killing his second wife by shoving her off a cliff, will not get a new trial according to a ruling. That detail led to a much closer investigation of Tonis death. Toni Bertolet Henthorn died after she was pushed off a cliff during an anniversary hike in Rock Mountain National Park. At the bottom it reads: In Loving Memory, January 10, 1962-September 29, 2012. The bad guy is the Defendant, and the evil that our children must now comprehend came from within the family in the form of a parent and an uncle. Prosecutors said Harold. Nothing budged the car. Harold claimed that one of the cars tires felt mushy, and pulled over to change it. Toni had fallen off a cliff? According to the file, the investigators noted the brand of shoes Harold was wearing at the time Sperry Topsider and took pictures of the tread. According to Henthorn, he said a tire felt "spongy," so he pulled off the road to change it. At one point, Sandra ended up underneath the car looking for a lug nut and the car crushed her when it fell off the jack. Detective Weaver discovered that there were multiple witnesses to the accidents aftermath who were never contacted. Haley Henthorn, Harold Henthorn Daughter Age Now - Mixedarticle The Defendants estate planning was grossly disproportionate as to his gained benefits from the death of his wife, yet showed little or no reciprocity had the circumstances been reversed and he met his untimely death.Grief is the human emotion that is exhibited by the loss of a loved oneit is the price of love. Maybe it wasnt the most critical detail. In spite of Tonis efforts, the little boy died having succumbed to his injuries. Douglas County wasnt prepared to investigate Lynns death not only because theyd never seen one like it, but because they werent prepared anything of this magnitude. For a time, she wondered if she would ever be able to perform another operation. When Detective Weaver called her nearly 20 years later and asked if she had any idea why he, an officer from Douglas County, might be calling out of the blue, Montoyas answer came quick and definitive. Weaver was the man for the job because even in a room full of patient people, his patience marked him as different. Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother addresses the media following the guilty verdict (credit: CBS), Harold and Toni Henthorn (courtesy to CBS), Watch the CBS4 special "Inside The Investigation: Harold Henthorn. A former rural ranching community turned, nearly overnight, into one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. If Toni mentioned a stove wasnt working properly or noticed something else that needed fixing, the issue got deliberated for hours, until Toni was so exhausted by the argument that she gave up. The Defendant proclaimed to be a Christian man when in fact he was an immoral man. The Defendant blamed the press for exposing the truth and destroying his scam and lies to the community in which he lived under false pretense. "We are overjoyed with the verdict and relieved this won't happen to any other lady," said Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother. All of Lynns belongings, along with the Jeep, were returned to Harold. As an ophthalmologist, Tonis commitment was her recurring choice to make a positive difference in the lives of so many. When she died, her daughter was only 7 years old. var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? Toni Henthorn fell to her death off a cliff while hiking with her husband, Harold. Hulus Wild Crime tells the story of Harold Henthorn and how he almost got away with murder. Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. Harold Hentho After his second wife died in an accident, authorities found that circumstances of his first wife's death were more suspicious than they realized. Her mother, Yvonne Bertolet, says two years since her death, she still finds herself reaching for the phone to call her daughter. It was only a few days into the new year, 2013, and only a few weeks after the Douglas County Sheriffs Department received a curious letter. "We don't have to worry anymore.". Author Vissarion Belinsky appropriately noted, Nothing is more sacred and selfless like the love of a mother; every affection, everylove, every passion, is either weak or selfish in comparison with her. Dateline airs Friday nights at 9 PM on NBC. Most people dont know that within that department there are teams of cops who work cases just like police in less scenic precincts. Many notorious serial killers have been sociopaths, such as Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. Now he needed an answer to a question that was gnawing at him. Every great doctor had seen loss, had seen suffering, had seen lifes struggles, but all had discovered a purpose in their own lives to rebound from the lows of tragedy. The couple met online in late 1999 and got married only nine months later, both in a rush to have a child. They were the first people to witness his incredibly odd behavior the evening his first wife died. The basic facts of the case are these. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Harold Henthorn had taken out three life insurance policies totaling $4.5 million before the death of his wife, Toni, on Sept. 29, 2012. This development recalls the story of another notorious convicted Colorado killer: Harold Henthorn, who was convicted of killing his second wife, Dr. Toni Henthorn. Yvonne had spent more than a decade suppressing her motherly intuition about Harold so that her daughter would be spared the consequences. Harold Henthorn was a grieving widower. What they wanted was to see Toni happy. She Used the Bathroom And Became a Target of the Culture War, Here's How LaRussell and Intuit are Helping Independent Artists Understand How to Achieve Their Financial Ambitions, Alex Murdaugh Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Wife and Son, Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son, Tennessee Enacts Nations First Law Restricting Drag Shows, The National Stay Up Late to Perform 'Tropic Morning News' on Fallon, David Lindley, Multi-Instrumentalist Who Shaped the Sound of Soft Rock, Dead at 78, Suki Waterhouse Won't Take Romance for Granted on New Single 'To Love', Travis Barker Says His Finger Ligament Surgery Was a 'Success' After Postponing Blink-182 Tour. Following the death of his first wife, Harold married a second time after meeting Dr. Toni Jill Bertolet Henthorn on a dating site. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Solutions . We feel guilt that we failed to act on our suspicions concerning Tonis welfare in her marriage. Create and promote branded videos, host live events and webinars, and more. He insisted to anyone who would listen that he was an in-demand fundraiser who had a large staff and made millions a year. The innocence of a child should not be violated by evil within and, more importantly, evil within a trusted family unit. A jury returned a guilty verdict Monday in its second day of deliberations. Andaccording to Haroldhe was putting the old tire in the trunk, with Sandra underneath the car, when the car slipped off its jack and crushed her. In 2019, he filed a petition for a writ of certiorari, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to investigate the matter, which was again denied. Harold and Toni Henthorn (credit CBS) A federal jury convicted Henthorn of pushing his second wife, Toni, off a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2012. Yet Toni remained silent. She had already suffered through one previous marriage, and her parents knew that her deepening faith and the fact that she and Harold now had a child of their own meant it was unlikely she would ever choose to divorce him. Additionally, detectives also discovered that shortly before Lynns death, Harold had doubled her life insurance in case of death by accident and subsequently had collected a lumpsum amount. Harold was convicted of first-degree murder, and in 2015 was sentenced to life in federal prison. It turned out that Harold sent texts to friends and family telling them his wife was injured well after he knew that she was dead. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. In 2014 federal magistrate judge Kathleen Tafoya said at a hearing, "The court views these transfers as an attempt to hide $500,000 in cash assets which could be used should the defendant decide to flee the country. A federal jury on Monday convicted a man of murder for pushing his wife off a cliff as they hiked in Colorado to celebrate their wedding anniversary. In 2000, Harold Henthorn married eye doctor Toni Bertolet after they met on a Christian dating website. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The Danger of Manipulative Love-Bombing in a Relationship, 7 Ticking Time Bombs That Destroy Loving Relationships, An Addiction Myth That Needs to Be Revisited, 5 Spiritual Practices That Increase Well-Being. Nor did the coroners office report whether the contents of Lynns stomach indicated one story was more plausible than the other. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. It would be years before they would find justice. As Warren Buffet stated, Honesty is a very expensive gift. Not long after that he found what a lot of good detectives manage to find: a mantra. So Yvonne continued with a final warning. Tonis brother Barry Bertolet spoke at the sentencing. If Henthorn is found guilty, I would not think either killing was premeditated but rather an opportunity arose and impulsively he used it to his advantage. In fact, the most endearing and only statement that has been uttered by the Defendant is that he lost his best friend, a less than committed affirmation of a supposedly loving relationship. We are hoping that you have no more nights, no more pain, no more tears with the Heavenly Father. It's a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder. Instead, it appears he risked it all for some insurance compensation. He was constantly talking, often bragging, and always had to be the center of attention. He had arrived with grand promises, including a claim that he was so rich that Toni would never have to work again. That she would take it to heart. Harold never said she wasnt allowed, of course. Harold and Toni Henthorn Toni and Harold met online in 1999 and married just nine months later. First he convinced her to move to Colorado. Stranger still was Harolds behavior on phone calls. Man Accused in Wife's Deadly Fall Also Killed First Wife: Prosecutor. At least that's what he told family, friends, and everyone else. But all was not as it seemed. Bundy was recognized for being very charming but also killed more than 30 young women. Nice, right? But in Detective Weavers mind, none of that mattered to the men investigating the case because every piece of information they gathered was viewed through the same distorting prism. She was a beautiful hazel-eyed blonde Southern Belle who excelled in academics, sports, music and leadership. He then let them take the lead when it came time to give her CPR. statements about the tragedy kept changing. She was an eye surgeon. Henthorn told authorities his wife was busy taking photographs and must have slipped, although he didn't see exactly what happened because he was using his phone at the time. Tyler Hadley's Killer Party The Defendant has blamed the victim for her own death. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. If you would like to donate, you can visit www.umc.edu/tonibertoletendowment. At trial, the coroner testified that Tonis lipstick hadnt been mussed, meaning Harold hadnt actually performed CPR. Something wasnt right, and Yvonne wanted to talk with Toni. Toni was a successful eye surgeon yet she wanted nothing more than to be in a loving marriage and have a family. Husband charged in wife's fatal fall off Colorado cliff marked spot of David Lindley, Multi-Instrumentalist Who Shaped the Sound of Soft Rock, Dead at 78 Suffer the consequences meant having to listen to Harold talk until he got what he wanted. The Defendants phony status and perception took priority over his family, and he chose family and friends based solely on his ability to deceive the same. In Memory of Toni - University of Mississippi Foundation In the Defendants selfish quest to hoard a child as a possession, he interfered with and severed a sacred relationshipthat of a mothers love for her child and the childs need for the love her mother. He's either guilty of two murders or he has a perplexing attraction to exceedingly unlucky women. "Dateline NBC" Over the Edge (TV Episode 2016) - IMDb In 1995, long before Weaver ever stepped foot in Douglas County, a woman died on the side of a dark road on a cold night. PostedNovember 18, 2014 According to the show, Tonis family passed a statement claiming that their daughter was quite disturbed in the days leading up to her passing. But the rescue team couldnt make it to their position in time, and Toni died. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Harold Henthorn, 59, was convicted of one count of first-degree murder in the 2012 death of his second wife, Dr. Toni Henthorn. Yet every time Toni managed to sneak a look at the couples finances, she found that their bank accounts werent nearly as flush as he made them out to be. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. Toni was not a life form on this Earth with wings and halo; she was a grounded person living an everyday life while doing remarkable deeds that touched peoples lives.Remarkable deeds didnt always shield Toni from the heartaches and losses seen in the practice of medicine, but those heartaches and losses defined and elevated her compassion and care.