In December, Toni Bertolet's husband, Harold Henthorn, received a mandatory life sentence for her death. / CBS Colorado. A jury returned a guilty verdict Monday in its second day of deliberations. Her husband's past is probed and deadly secrets are revealed. The couple met online in late 1999 and got married only nine months later, both in a rush to. She said she believed Harold was living off of his first wifes life insurance, a death that everyone in the Bertolet family understood to be the result of a tragic car accident. Harold claimed that one of the cars tires felt mushy, and pulled over to change it. Prosecutors argued during a two-week trial that Henthorn carefully staged Toni Henthorn's death to look like an accident because he stood to benefit from her $4.7 million in life-insurance policies, which she didn't know existed. First published on September 23, 2015 / 11:02 PM. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. To one cop, Harold said that they were driving east. How does she know that a trusted person is not lying to her? That she would take it to heart. Henthorn told investigators that his wife paused to take a photo of the view and fell face-first over the ledge. Several of the jurors spoke with the Denver Post following the verdict, and one jurors comment summed their thinking up maybe better than any other. Prosecutors and authorities learned that before Tonis death, she had been subjected twice to injuries allegedly caused by a wooden beam. Trending Shatterdaymorn Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Her dreams seemed to come true when she met Harold. Toni had fallen off a cliff? A chance to speak frankly with her daughter was something she hadnt had for a long time and Yvonne didnt waste it. To the young medical physician in need of an accomplished mentor to guide a promising medical career, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. She told Detective Weaver that she had been at accident scenes where family members of victims were crying, screaming, and in some cases so emotional they punched her. Even though he said he could work from anywhere, he didnt see a future in Mississippi, where Tonis family, friends and nearly everyone else who was dear to her already lived. He probably could have continued to live that lie, but if he did this, then greed got the best of him. Todd Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother said, "That was what was so odd. 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. It would take a lot less time to find out that for Harold, their son-in-law, his tragic present looked very much like his past. He was careful and methodical and knew how to navigate the choppy waters of bureaucracy even when it came to the toughest cases. She was a volunteer with the West Douglas County Fire Department who arrived on scene shortly after Montoya left. We agonize over the question: Did Toni know she was being murdered and what were her thoughts as she fell 140 feet? I will never celebrate my birthday again. Yvonne and I will never again hear Toni say, Hi Momma, Hi Daddy, this is Sissy.We hear you, Sissy, in our hearts. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. In each case, the Defendant made arrangements to be a lucky recipient of significant benefits from those deathshis own version a post mortem lottery. var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? PostedNovember 18, 2014 Tonis brother Barry Bertolet spoke at the sentencing. On looking back, authorities realized that they had failed to follow up on numerous leads regarding Lynns death, including the partial footprint found on the Jeeps tire. He was older. Create and promote branded videos, host live events and webinars, and more. Harold was convicted of first-degree murder, and in 2015 was sentenced to life in federal prison. She, like Dr. Henthorn, died in a rural and deserted area. She had insurance policies, and Henthorn collected $496,000 from her death. Harold couldnt account for how the SUV fell off not one, but the two jacks he said hed used to prop it up. "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. The lies? But, as the lead investigator would later testify to in court, theyd never checked the print against the shoes to see if they were a match. The only question was whether Harold Henthorn would ever face any consequences. Then harder still. Harold Henthorn, and his wife Toni.. He organized playdates with other parents, told Haley when and what to eat, and made it clear to everyone paying attention that he, not Toni, was in charge. We can forgive a child for being afraid of the dark, but we cannot forgive the darkness of selfish desolation that lies within the Defendants heart.The Defendant would have us erroneously believe that he is an unlucky man, a hard luck husband, and a person in which lightning has tragically struck twice. To one cop, Harold said he and Lynn left their house to go on the drive around 1 p.m. To another he said 7. 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. The Harold Henthorn-Toni Henthorn murder case will be aired on the latest episode of 48 Hours. To another he said it wasnt him Lynn was actually rescued by a random group of helpful strangers. Gacy was a popular Chicago contractor who entertained children in hospitals, yet also raped, tortured, and killed 33 young men. He refused to allow Toni to help put Haley to bed at night, insisting that the hour or so before Haley fell asleep was his daddy-daughter time. To the young man who thought he needed a new prescription for his glasses, but was diagnosed by Toni with an aggressive brain tumor requiring immediate intervention, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. 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. 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. 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. 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. Yvonne wanted Toni to say something, anything. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. As exhibited previously of the mother / daughter relationship between Toni and her mother, the Defendant saw no value in a mothers love; the Defendant only saw the financial value of the life of the mother.To a child, evil and villains are supposed to be easily identifiable. He needed things done his way something that was becoming more and more evident with each passing day. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son. He had to give his bosses credit; they were telling him he was likely going to find something that embarrassed them, but encouraged him nonetheless. CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass has been with the station more than 30 years uncovering waste, fraud and corruption. Instead, it appears he risked it all for some insurance compensation. Harold never said she wasnt allowed, of course. What kind of mind thinks like that to kill based on an opportunity? CBS 48 Hours file photos This wasn't the only circumstance that Walsh saw as suspicious. Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) November 23, 2016 A few weeks later, in early December, a judge handed down the official sentence: life in prison. Three years later we are still heavy laden with the emotional shock of her death.Toni was a special child, a precious gift to us from God. Her brother, Todd Bertolet, after learning about the theft arrest, said, "I'm blown away. Harold Henthorn, accused of pushing his second wife to her death in Rocky Mountain National Park, is being eyed in the 1995 death of his first wife. We ask: How could money be so important to a man, that he would kill the mother of his seven year old daughter? It went on like this for years, with occasional sunbreaks, moments when both Harold and Tonis moods improved and the union seemed salvageable. We want to hear it. The Defendant claimed to be a family man, when, in fact he was a selfish man. After a few years sharpening his golf game Weaver got bored and applied for a job in Douglas, the county just to the south. He had her body cremated, scattered the ashes on Colorados Red Mountain, and collected the $4.7 million life insurance payout from the plan she had recently signed up for. Harold was convicted of first-degree murder, and in 2015 was sentenced to life in federal prison. Also, an extensive review found that Henthorn, who had a clean police record besides a couple of minor traffic citations, had been charged with shoplifting underwear! When Harold Henthorns second wife, Dr. Toni Henthorn, appeared to lose her life after a tragic fall, authorities became suspicious of the two times widower. Harold was later sentenced to life in federal prison. Friends and family were delighted for the pair, who seemed to be the perfect match. After all, they had been witness to Harolds efforts at trying to alienate his second wife from her close ones. Haley is not fine without her mother. He was a good guy, a loving husband, a good father to their daughter, and extremely busy working as a fundraiser for churches, charities, and non-profit groups. On September 29, 2012, the couple was hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park when Tonis brother received a chilling text. Dateline airs Friday nights at 9 PM on NBC. Toni Henthorn's brother, Todd Bertolet, told CBS4, "They're going to go after assets that should be in Toni's estate." I would not go anywhere alone with this man.. Toni Henthorn was a skilled ophthalmologist and loving mother. Harold Henthorn flanked by first wife Lynn and second wife Toni. To the young person contemplating committing suicide in need of compassion and skillful guidance, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. To the young man facing total blindness from an injury requiring the skilled hands of a surgeon, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. After Tonis death, the Defendant routinely proclaimed that Haley Henthorn was doing just fine without her mother. The questions from Douglas County police to Harold were perfunctory. The Defendant referred to Haley as a trooper and that life moved on as if nothing ever happened with respect to the permanent absence of Haleys mother. A government auditor testified at a grand jury hearing that Henthorn not only kept things from friends and family but also deceived on many occasions. I dont think that was an accident at all, she said, sitting on a bed next to Toni. The story behind that tragedy was revealed last November in an episode of CBS' "48 Hours" and, apparently, more details are forthcoming with the "Dateline" broadcast this month. If you want to know more about this baffling case and where Harold Henthorn is today, we have you covered. Henthorn has sociopathic tendencies, without doubt, but what makes this so challenging is that a murderer is typically not a sociopath. Even after shed fallen asleep, Harold found a way to keep his eye on his only child. This has nothing to do with borderline personality disorder. Maybe even that she would leave Harold. Now that effort is laid to waste. Bertolet said, "There's no doubt he paid for his defense with Toni's money.". Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. 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. Storyline Edit 48 Hours re-examines and updates the case of Harold Henthorn whose wives Lynn and Toni died 17 years apart in what were supposedly freak accidents. She called the Sheriffs office the next day to ask where she could pick up the coat. To some people he said the Jeep fell when he threw the flat tire into the open hatch in the back. "We are overjoyed with the verdict and relieved this won't happen to any other lady," said Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother. Bertolet said he supported what the court-appointed administrators were doing since Toni Henthorn's family believes Harold Henthorn has likely spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his dead wife's money to pay his own defense lawyers. Did you arrest the husband yet? shed asked. And, though hes already serving a life sentence for killing his second wife, the total lack of charges stemming from the strange, mysterious death of his first continues to fuel general outrage and disbelief. He's either guilty of two murders or he has a perplexing attraction to exceedingly unlucky women. 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. But I would be very careful. To another he said they were on their way to the restaurant. Then came the incident at the cabin. The Defendants entire adult life was a lie and scam to live his life and lifestyle while others paid the price. That saying served him well working sex crimes for most of a decade. 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. From the time of Tonis death, the Defendant has made it abundantly clear that he just wanted to move on with his life. However, his first wife, Lynn . The money was purportedly for a business investment, according to evidence presented at an earlier federal court hearing. We grieve that we were not by her side in her dying moments. As was the case with the crime scene photos, we can close our eyes to things that we dont want to see, but we cant close our hearts to the hurt that we dont want to feel.Tonis life was ruined by the lies and deceitfulness of the Defendant, but, in the end, the Defendant was exposed and convicted by the truth. Detective Weaver discovered that there were multiple witnesses to the accidents aftermath who were never contacted. Thus, Harold Henthorn is currently serving his life sentence at the Terre Haute United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. "); "Believe it or not I forgive him (Henthorn) for doing it. During the initial investigation, Detective Weavers colleagues had found some inconsistencies. The 2 Most Psychologically Incisive Films of 2022, The Surprising Role of Empathy in Traumatic Bonding. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 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. Her mother, Yvonne Bertolet, says two years since her death, she still finds herself reaching for the phone to call her daughter. Finally, Detective Weaver took his foot and, in the same place where the original partial print was found, kicked the Jeep.
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