Bob and Yvonne watched as Harold slowly took control of Tonis life. It had been a full day, and the sun had set. He had no real mentor to help him, Weaver said recently, in his first public comments since his retirement in August. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. Special administrators representing Toni Henthorn's estate are trying to recover the money so it eventually benefits Haley Henthorn, Toni Henthorn's daughter, not Harold Henthorn or his brother. Which he always did. We take solace that prayers are being answeredIn closing, I thank the Court for allowing me to present this Victim Impact Statement. 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. After his second wife died in an accident, authorities found that circumstances of his first wife's death were more suspicious than they realized. After a careers worth of experience, Roberts told Detective Weaver that she could confidently say the accident scene that took Lynns life and the behavior of her husband were the most unusual she had ever come across. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. 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. The Defendant now denounces and rejects a judicial system that convicted him of his crime beyond a reasonable doubt.The public needs to be able to forget Harold Henthorn, because he does not belong in anyones future. They were out hiking when Toni lost her balance on a steep cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park on September 29th, 2012, bleeding out on the ground 130 feet below where she fell. Her husband, Harold Henthorn, was convicted of first-degree murder in her death. In 1994, Henthorn was arrested for shoplifting $47.49 worth of men's underwear from a JCPenney store. IE 11 is not supported. This is "Dateline NBC: Henthorn Case" by Vicky Collins on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. Harold, in contrast to all those grieving family members, had been calm. The file contained a note from a woman named Patricia Montoya, who called the day after the accident with a question. Dateline NBC: Henthorn Case on Vimeo Had they checked, they would have found that Harold actually received twice that much. Harold Henthorn, who shoved second wife off cliff, loses appeal for a new murder trial. DENVER - A Colorado man accused of killing his wife by pushing her off a cliff has been found guilty, CBS Denver reports. Thus, Harold Henthorn is currently serving his life sentence at the Terre Haute United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. His first wife Lynn died in 1995 after a car held up by a jack fell on her. 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. A year after he was sentenced to life in prison, it doesnt look like Harolds appeal has yet been carried out. In the process of his own investigation, Detective Weaver discovered that no officer had called the restaurant where Harold claimed, at least in one version of his story, he and Lynn had eaten before the accident. Maybe even that she would leave Harold. What Toni meant was that Harold didnt like to be questioned. 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. 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. While Toni lived her life to inspire people, the Defendant lived his life to drain people, and he represents a human debt that can never be reimbursed. Yvonne wanted Toni to say something, anything. ". This development recalls the story of another notorious convicted Colorado killer: Harold Henthorn, who was convicted of killing his second wife, Dr. Toni Henthorn. Grief doesnt move on and doesnt end for those that are loved. To one cop, Harold said that they were driving east. 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. 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. 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. Feds say Henthorn pushed his wife over a cliff at Rocky Mountain National Park. 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. Harold had her body cremated, scattered the ashes on Colorados Red Mountain, and collected the $500,000 life insurance payout from the plan she had recently signed up for. Hey Mrs. B! Harold would say, using the pet name hed given Yvonne. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. To the young medical physician in need of an accomplished mentor to guide a promising medical career, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. She died on the operating room after being flown to the hospital in a helicopter. January 10th was one day short of her mothers birthday on January 11th. During the initial investigation, Detective Weavers colleagues had found some inconsistencies. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Henthorn was able to persuade police his first wife died as the result of a tragic accident. A chance to speak frankly with her daughter was something she hadnt had for a long time and Yvonne didnt waste it. He then let them take the lead when it came time to give her CPR. No physical evidence remained. "Dateline NBC" Over the Edge (TV Episode 2016) - IMDb 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. The travel for work that didnt seem, to Yvonne at least, to be real? var sc_project=9846729; As the little boy lay on the emergency room table, he pointed to his head and moaned hurt..hurt. Harold even called 911, and when first responders reached the scene, they noticed that Toni had fallen from a height of 140 feet to her death. 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. 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. We can only hope to learn more as the trial kicks into gear. The Defendants so called estate planning banked on and invested heavily in the premature demise of his wife. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Detective Weaver discovered that there were multiple witnesses to the accidents aftermath who were never contacted. Black Widower: How One Man Allegedly Murdered Two Wives. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. If she hadnt moved a millisecond before it hit her, she later told her mother, it may have landed right on her head, perhaps with enough force to kill. "https://secure." Buried inside the report, Detective Weaver found a reference to a footprint. When the friends and family of Toni Henthorn heard how she died, only one was able to put into words what so many others were thinking. 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. She was an eye surgeon. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. Overwhelmed by the loss of the child, Toni never wanted to see the hurt in another persons eyes, much less a childs eyes. 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. Harold and Toni Henthorn Toni and Harold met online in 1999 and married just nine months later. For both wives of Harold Henthorn, the locations where they died were deserted and Henthorn was the only other person present. Still, Harold persisted in his innocence, and in 2017 he filed an appeal for a retrial, which was subsequently denied. Unlucky in love, but a success just about everywhere else. The Defendants jealousy and selfish ambition prevented any of his energies from being expended in considering the good of others, and, as such, his actions were accordingly contemptible.The Defendant mistakenly believes that he is a father and parent just because he has a child. The Douglas County Coroner had ruled Lynns death as accidental. I am haunted by my wifes lament: When Toni died, I died. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The stories he told police werent at all consistent. In 2012, Harold and Dr. Toni Henthorn celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary with a hiking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. How does she know that a person of perceived trust will not cause her harm? The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Not only for the death of the wife hed just lost, but for the one whod died so many years before. The money was purportedly for a business investment, according to evidence presented at an earlier federal court hearing. The Bertolets could sense that Toni was unhappy but felt there was little they could do about it. It's a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. DENVER (CBS4) - CBS4 has learned that the brother of convicted killer Harold Henthorn -- Rob Henthorn -- has been ordered to appear in court next month to explain what happened to $500,000 sent to him in 2014 by his brother Harold Henthorn. Suffer the consequences meant having to listen to Harold talk until he got what he wanted. A 59-year-old Colorado man was found guilty Monday of killing his wife by pushing her off a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park in order to collect millions in life insurance money. And he maintains his innocence. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice James 3:16. To the little boy that was dying on the emergency room table that felt the healing hand of a wonderful physician, but was in need of a guiding hand to heaven from a person of tremendous faith, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable.On September 29, 2012, the Defendant murdered Toni Bertolet Henthorn. One night, something happened at that cabin that left Toni recovering in a hospital bed. Their grandchild was now in the care of the man they believed to be her killer. The Jeep was then salvaged. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". As an ophthalmologist, Tonis commitment was her recurring choice to make a positive difference in the lives of so many. The innocence of a child should not be violated by evil within and, more importantly, evil within a trusted family unit. Afterwards she would discover what it was that had hurt her so badly: a large piece of lumber that Harold said fell off the porch. In Memory of Toni - University of Mississippi Foundation Shatterdaymorn Plot summary Add synopsis Genres These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Nothing budged the car. After a few years sharpening his golf game Weaver got bored and applied for a job in Douglas, the county just to the south. Dateline Toni Henthorn, Harold Henrhorn's 37-year-old wife, was killed in October 2015. Harold Henthorn, 59, was convicted of one count of first-degree murder in the 2012 death of his second wife, Dr. Toni Henthorn. 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.". I know he killed her, he says. 10-year-old Henthorn daughter now ward of uncle - The Denver Post 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. On May 6 of that year, Henthorn and his first wife, Sandra Lynn, were driving through the dark. They were the first people to witness his incredibly odd behavior the evening his first wife died. In 2000, Harold Henthorn married eye doctor Toni Bertolet after they met on a Christian dating website. To another he said it was merely spongy. We feel guilt that we failed to act on our suspicions concerning Tonis welfare in her marriage. He pushed her, said Tonis father, Bob. Reached this week, Rob Henthorn declined to discuss the half million dollars and referred questions to his attorney, Pam Mackey. Full disclaimer: I have not evaluated Harold Henthorn, but if he is guilty of murder, then he would fall into the range of what I call a borderline sociopath. Family, friends and co-workers were convinced Harold Henthorn was responsible for his wife's death. Of Henthorns defense, Peter Christofolo said, It didnt meet the common-sense barometer., It was supposed to be the perfect weekend #Dateline pic.twitter.com/ccPUf1sDEy, Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) November 23, 2016, A few weeks later, in early December, a judge handed down the official sentence: life in prison. Grief is place where one never wishes to remain; yet it will be our unending passage due to the wrongful acts of the Defendant. He was 50 when his wife Toni passed away. Do not expect it from cheap people. The defendant is morally cheap and is bankrupt of all honesty.In the Defendants sociopathic world, no person, place, or thing had any power over him, as his thoughts and his mind were the only authority. It appeared instead to be a terrible accident. Grief means coping, emptiness, adjusting, loss, and sadness. 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. After years of trying, the two managed to have a daughter, Haley. Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) November 23, 2016 A few weeks later, in early December, a judge handed down the official sentence: life in prison. Toni was a medical doctor that had this unique perspective on life, and those moments affirmed her compassionate care and concern for others. Convicted Wife-Killer Harold Henthorn Back In Court, Claims Attorney In each case, the Defendant made arrangements to be a lucky recipient of significant benefits from those deathshis own version a post mortem lottery. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Harold Henthorn and Toni Henthorn tied the knot in 2000. Bob Bertolet, Tonis father, and Todd Bertolet, her younger brother, read the following victim impact statements at Harolds sentencing. Bundy was recognized for being very charming but also killed more than 30 young women. His second wife Toni died in 2012 after a fall during a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. He was a good guy, a loving husband, a good father to their daughter, and extremely busy working as a fundraiser for churches,. The silence of the victim, Toni Bertolet Henthorn, in the court today represents her loudest cry for her daughter and the injustice at the hands of the Defendant.In closing, this trial was about the last moment in Tonis life and the moment that Toni took her last breath. But all was not as it seemed. The letter was from the Department of the Interior, which oversees every one of the countrys 417 national parks. Oh it was nothing, Mrs. B! Harold had insisted on one of their phone calls afterwards. Nice, right? Although Harold pleaded not guilty at his trial, the jury did not deliberate long before pronouncing him guilty. She told Toni that Harold may have even been having an affair. : "http://www. We want to hear it. 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. At one time she had been assertive and confident a former high school athlete with a deep commitment to God and an unwavering belief that she was put on Earth to help people heal. Now that Harold had taken that daughter away from them, however, and made it almost impossible to talk with her, the quirks became decidedly less charming. Tonis brother Barry Bertolet spoke at the sentencing. This begs the question, why was he deceiving himself? His attorney, Craig Truman, said prosecutors failed to prove he killed her. Instead, it appears he risked it all for some insurance compensation. July 26, 2017 at 11:59 a.m. 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. She died after plummeting about 130 feet off a cliff in a remote, rocky area where the couple had been hiking on Sept. 29, 2012, their 12th wedding anniversary. The Accidental Husband: With Peter Van Sant, Brian Maass, Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn. Toni always carried the pain of a loss, but she also knew what those tragic moments taught her as a person. According to the Denver Channel, Toni Henthorn's husband, Harold Henthorn, was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, but his supporters say that he didn't do it. The Douglas County Sheriffs employees registered Harolds conflicting statements and made note of the strange fact that the spare tire he said he was going to use was barely more inflated than the one he was removing. Harold Henthorn Convicted of Murdering His Wife By Pushing Her Off Cliff These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Taking the aforementioned points into account, the police suspect foul play. Now that effort is laid to waste. Her mother, Yvonne Bertolet, says two years since her death, she still finds herself reaching for the phone to call her daughter. The Defendant evidently perceived a strong and viable mother / daughter relationship as a threat to his authority in his warped world. This case has revealed more than just the circumstances behind the wrongful death of Toni Bertolet Henthorn; it has also revealed the ugly truth of the extent of the deceitfulness of the Defendant.The Defendant is the evil that lurked in unthinkable places to manipulate his way into Tonis life as well as others of her character. The Defendant claimed to have a career and business, when, in fact he had neither. Toni and Harold Henthorn were celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary the weekend when she died. The show even traced the subsequent investigation, focusing on the authorities as they cast their net around the murderer. Problems Persist For Henthorn Family: Brother Ordered To Court That woman on the mountain, she said. Harold claimed that one of the cars tires felt mushy, and pulled over to change it. It wasnt until Toni came back to Mississippi to visit, for the first and only time in a decade without Harold, that Yvonne began to worry for her daughters safety. It is unknown when Harold married for the first time, but he and his first wife, Sandra Lynn Henthorn, were together for 12 years before a terrible tragedy affected their seemingly happy lives. Harold owned a little house in the mountains west of Denver and took Toni and Haley there often. It seemed to be a tragic accident. 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. But given the inconsistencies in Harolds story plus the inaccurate life insurance figure he shared, along with the fact that no one could explain exactly how the Jeep had fallen in the first place its existence pointed to an alternative explanation: Harold had kicked the car and killed his wife on purpose. Create and promote branded videos, host live events and webinars, and more. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The Bertolets found it odd that long after shed ceased to be a baby, Harold kept a video monitor running in his daughters room. Did You Know Anxiety Can Enhance Our Relationships? After being found guilty of first-degree murder, Harold received a life term in federal prison in 2015.

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