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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Her dreams seemed to come true when she met Harold. Yvonne always considered Toni the best birthday present she ever received. 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.". On May 6, 1995, Harold and Lynndecided to go on a long drive along a highway in Sedalia, Colorado. 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. The Bertolets could sense that Toni was unhappy but felt there was little they could do about it. 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. 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. Montoya wanted to cover his wife with something warm. 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. As Warren Buffet stated, Honesty is a very expensive gift. "Certainly those weren't my sister's wishes," said Bertolet of Harold Henthorn spending his wife's money to fight charges that he killed her. Yet Toni remained silent. We take solace that prayers are being answeredIn closing, I thank the Court for allowing me to present this Victim Impact Statement. How else to explain all the strangeness? 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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 Accidental Husband: With Peter Van Sant, Brian Maass, Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn. According to the testimony later given at a trial, instead of learning for themselves how much money Harold was due to receive from his wifes life insurance, Douglas Countys detectives took his word for it that the payout was $300,000 still a large amount considering his wifes modest social workers salary of $14,000 a year. 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. It just so happened that every time Bob or Yvonne called their daughter, Harold was the one to answer. Harold told her he was a wealthy businessman who fundraised for schools and Churches. Haley Henthorn is the daughter of Harold Henthorn. Bertolet said, "There's no doubt he paid for his defense with Toni's money.". 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. And, ultimately, the investigation rattled Harold. The only question was whether Harold Henthorn would ever face any consequences. Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. The Defendant demeaned the investigative authorities for uncovering his murder and sinister intentions. How does she know that grief and sadness will not fall upon her again at the hands of a person she trusted? No physical evidence remained. Then came more subtle attempts to choke off any contact Toni might have with those who loved her. And that might have been the end of the storywere it not for an anonymous tip to authorities, encouraging them to look at the circumstances of Harolds first wifes death. 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. Within less than a week, Douglas Countys coroner declared Lynn Henthorns death an accident. The couple met online in late 1999 and got married only nine months later, both in a rush to. Since Harold was treated from the start as a victim, not a suspect, and since his wifes death was treated as an accident, not a deliberate murder, clues that wouldve appeared to others as red flags had no discernible hue at all. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. He was older. Detective Weaver further discovered that the department was woefully undertrained: the man in charge of the investigation had been a detective for all of five months, had never been the lead on any homicide, and had never undergone any formal training before becoming a detective. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. A federal jury on Monday convicted a man of murder for pushing his wife to her death off a cliff as they hiked in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park to celebrate their wedding anniversary, rejecting his claim that her fall was a tragic accident. Maybe even that she would leave Harold. The Defendant feels no guilt, and, as is the case with most criminals, blames the victim, the victims family, the Good Samaritan and rescuers, the press, the investigative authorities, and the judicial system for his troubles. 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. Technically he was retired. Harold stopped to check and had the vehicle propped up on a jack. To Toni Bertolet Henthorns family, her friends, and the people for whom she cared, Tonis life was about the moments that took our breath away., Beyond even that, Sandras brother, Kevin Richell, went so far as to apologize to Tonis family for not seeing through the curious circumstances surrounding Sandras death. I think of how desperately she wanted a child and now she will never see that child grow up, never see her grandchildren.There is a picture of a smiling Toni resting on an easel in our home. Reading through the file 18 years later, Detective Weaver realized something, which would later come out in court testimony from his superiors: that in almost every one of those conversations Harold made a statement that conflicted with something else hed already said. She was killed while trying to change a flat tire when the car she was underneath fell on top of her, thousands of pounds of metal pinning her to the ground. Tom Sizemore, Heat and Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dead at 61 The Defendant slandered the victims family for not publicly supporting his lies and deception and taught his daughter to hate as punishment of the same. They were the first people to witness his incredibly odd behavior the evening his first wife died. The Defendant never showed grief as to the loss of Toni, and has yet to tell anyone in this family that he actually loved her. Early in her medical career, Toni received a call to give emergency care to a 4 or 5 year old little boy that had been critically injured in a car accident. Investigators searched deeper and found that Henthorn's first wife, Sandra, died in 1995 when their Jeep Cherokee fell on her. The Defendant claimed to be a provider, when, in fact he offered and gave nothing. "https://secure." You do with this what you want to. 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. At that time, her death was quickly deemed an accident. This despite the fact that the Bertolets had been extra generous to Harold and Toni, gifting them some half-million dollars for a down payment on their house in Colorado, for cars and new appliances and for anything else the couple needed in the 10 years since theyd married. To Toni Bertolet Henthorns family, her friends, and the people for whom she cared, Tonis life was about the moments that took our breath away.Todd Bertolet. There were other inconsistencies too. When Weaver finally left the Air Force and asked her where she wanted to live, she chose Denver. If the Bertolets wanted to see their daughter they had to get on a plane, a burden for two elderly parents even before both suffered mild strokes. After being found guilty of first-degree murder, Harold received a life term in federal prison in 2015. Gacy was a popular Chicago contractor who entertained children in hospitals, yet also raped, tortured, and killed 33 young men. 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. Trending (This was also brought up in court.) It is often said that when a brilliant mind, talent, and heart come together as one, one should expect a Masterpiece. Douglas County had changed tremendously in the intervening years. The Defendant claimed to be financially wealthy, when, in fact he had no fortune at all. He had arrived with grand promises, including a claim that he was so rich that Toni would never have to work again. By Kirk Mitchell. Then, he said, he saw nothing but a blurand Toni was no longer standing there. var sc_security="9a0f0d6e"; Toni Henthorn's brother, Todd Bertolet, told CBS4, "They're going to go after assets that should be in Toni's estate." 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. Old Medication, New Use: Can Prazosin Curb Drinking? Toni had a profound effect on people with her care, having been consistently described by her patients and their families as that of an Angel and a Godsend in the time of need. My name is Bob Bertolet, father of the victim, Toni Bertolet Henthorn. At least that's what he told family, friends, and everyone else. var sc_project=9846729; Bob and Yvonne watched as Harold slowly took control of Tonis life. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". To another he said they were on their way to the restaurant. Harold Henthorn, 59, was convicted of one count of first-degree murder in the 2012 death of his second wife, Dr. Toni Henthorn. Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) November 23, 2016 A few weeks later, in early December, a judge handed down the official sentence: life in prison. Unlucky in love, but a success just about everywhere else. Although the police found a partial footprint on the Jeeps tires and Harolds statements about the tragedy kept changing, Lynns death was soon determined an accident. Toni Bertolet Henthorns life was a masterpiece and role model to those who were fortunate to be a part of her life. 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. I am haunted by my wifes lament: When Toni died, I died.