Grief means coping, emptiness, adjusting, loss, and sadness. Yet Toni remained silent. He slammed the tailgate. Toni Henthorn was a skilled ophthalmologist and loving mother. The show even traced the subsequent investigation, focusing on the authorities as they cast their net around the murderer. 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. Bundy was recognized for being very charming but also killed more than 30 young women. To some people he said the Jeep fell when he threw the flat tire into the open hatch in the back. There were other inconsistencies too. Even after shed fallen asleep, Harold found a way to keep his eye on his only child. September 23, 2015 / 11:02 PM 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. Harold claimed that one of the cars tires felt mushy, and pulled over to change it. We ask: How could money be so important to a man, that he would kill the mother of his seven year old daughter? From the time of Tonis death, the Defendant has made it abundantly clear that he just wanted to move on with his life. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Suffer the consequences meant having to listen to Harold talk until he got what he wanted. To one cop, Harold said that they were driving east. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. I feel for him and his family. 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. On May 6, 1995, Harold and Sandra were driving home after a day of hiking. Additionally, the police ascertained that Harold stood to gain substantial life insurance money following Tonis demise, which gave him a motive for murder. It appeared instead to be a terrible accident. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Firstly, we wanted to be a strong voice for Toni and to seek justice in her behalf. It went on like this for years, with occasional sunbreaks, moments when both Harold and Tonis moods improved and the union seemed salvageable. Detective Weaver discovered that there were multiple witnesses to the accidents aftermath who were never contacted. In a horrible turn of events, Lynn crawled under the car to retrieve a lug nut when the vehicle came down on her crushing her fatally. Montoya wanted to cover his wife with something warm. They can keep it under control most of the time, but sometimes when the opportunity arises, they strike. 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. Prosecutors said Harold. The 2 Most Psychologically Incisive Films of 2022, The Surprising Role of Empathy in Traumatic Bonding. 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. By the time Detective Weaver called Roberts, she had been promoted all the way up to chief of the department, and had witnessed more deaths than she cared to count. I know he killed her, he says. He was constantly talking, often bragging, and always had to be the center of attention. And there was one huge, almost shockingly damning piece of evidence the prosecution used against Harold. There was something else, too, buried inside the file. 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. A true parent places a childs needs above their own selfish wants. | 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. Henthorn told investigators that his wife paused to take a photo of the view and fell face-first over the ledge. He then let them take the lead when it came time to give her CPR. And despite her having all the trappings of happiness a big house, a healthy child, a yearly Christmas card detailing everything thatd gone right for them that never seemed to happen. The Defendant only made withdrawals and made no deposits in the lives of his wives and their families. Henthorn was able to persuade police his first wife died as the result of a tragic accident. He was a wealthy fundraiser for hospitals and churches. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. He told them, We are beyond sorry for not seeing through it. 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. At the bottom it reads: In Loving Memory, January 10, 1962-September 29, 2012. A partial footprint wasnt necessarily evidence of anything. To another he said it was merely spongy. He had arrived with grand promises, including a claim that he was so rich that Toni would never have to work again. No. He needed things done his way something that was becoming more and more evident with each passing day. 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. 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. Feds say Henthorn pushed his wife over a cliff at Rocky Mountain National Park. Following the death of his first wife, Harold married a second time after meeting Dr. Toni Jill Bertolet Henthorn on a dating site. Even though Harold had money, he refused to travel with Toni back to the South. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Their only daughter was gone. A medical physician of Tonis caliber doesnt just happen because one simply holds a medical degree; this type of physician evolves through extraordinary experiences and is not readily replaced.There is no unique perspective or lesson to garner from the wrongful death and loss of Toni it is what it is a devastating loss. 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. This is "Dateline NBC: Henthorn Case" by Vicky Collins on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. To one cop, Harold said he and Lynn ate dinner at a nearby restaurant just prior to the accident. If Harold said they needed a new car, the car got bought. Harold Henthorn, and his wife Toni. Editors picks She was an eye surgeon. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. DENVER - A Colorado man accused of killing his wife by pushing her off a cliff has been found guilty, CBS Denver reports. 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. 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. But all was not as it seemed. Tonis alma mater, the University of Mississippi, has set up an endowment in her name that will raise money for ophthalmology education and surgical equipment. Its a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Colorado; Henthorn was 59. On September 29, 2012, Harold and Toni Henthorn went for a hike at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Harold Henthorn was a grieving widower. Bob Bertolet, Tonis father, and Todd Bertolet, her younger brother, read the following victim impact statements at Harolds sentencing. Phone calls and emails from CBS4 to Mackey were not returned. 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. 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. At first glance, it wasnt even apparent that it was a case. 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. Henthorn had been in prison since his arrest for Tonis murder in November of 2014 Since then, hes been transferred twice: in March, he went from Colorado to a Federal holding pen in Oklahoma City; then, to the high-security United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Then came more subtle attempts to choke off any contact Toni might have with those who loved her. Harold stopped to check and had the vehicle propped up on a jack. Buried inside the report, Detective Weaver found a reference to a footprint. Montoya eventually got so fed up with the fact that Harold wouldnt help warm up his freezing, near-death wife that she used her own coat and left it at the scene once she and her family realized the police were almost there. A former rural ranching community turned, nearly overnight, into one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. Maybe even that she would leave Harold. 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. Black Widower: How One Man Allegedly Murdered Two Wives. After all, Harold was a respected member of the community. Toni Bertolet Henthorn died after she was pushed off a cliff during an anniversary hike in Rock Mountain National Park. Years removed from the original investigation, with Toni Henthorns suspicious fall raising new concerns, Detective Weaver was told to go where the truth led him. Now he needed an answer to a question that was gnawing at him. When Dave Weaver first sat down with the file he wasnt impressed. "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. How else to explain all the strangeness? On the map of the park he had with him the day of Tonis death, there was a literal Xright at the spot where Toni went over the edge. 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. She had a passion to console and give advice to those who were in need of direction and comfort. Overwhelmed by the loss of the child, Toni never wanted to see the hurt in another persons eyes, much less a childs eyes. Tonis brother Barry Bertolet spoke at the sentencing. 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! This begs the question, why was he deceiving himself? You do with this what you want to. 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. Harold was convicted of first-degree murder, and in 2015 was sentenced to life in federal prison. 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 silence of the victim, Toni Bertolet Henthorn, in the court today is another word for the pain that she lived at the hands of the Defendant. She wanted her to say that she would listen to her mothers warning. All of Lynns belongings, along with the Jeep, were returned to Harold. After all, Harold was a respected member of the community. He pushed her, said Tonis father, Bob. 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. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Harold, in contrast to all those grieving family members, had been calm. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The spring night was cold and Lynn was only wearing a t-shirt. 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. So Yvonne continued with a final warning. And, strangest of all from Montoyas perspective, Harold refused to hand over the coat he was wearing. Incidentally, the highway was quite deserted at that time of the year and did not witness much traffic. In each case, the Defendant made arrangements to be a lucky recipient of significant benefits from those deathshis own version a post mortem lottery. That woman on the mountain, she said. My child now asks the appropriate question of how do I know. Create and promote branded videos, host live events and webinars, and more. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The Defendant deserves the sentence of this Court as he has worked his entire adult life earning the same. How does she know that the person she chooses loves her for who she is and not for her wealth and lifestyle? Of all the titles that the Defendant has bestowed upon himself without merit, the title of Murderer, bequeathed by the jury, is the only title that the Defendant has earned. Related And, ultimately, the investigation rattled Harold. Toni Henthorn's brother, Todd Bertolet, told CBS4, "They're going to go after assets that should be in Toni's estate." Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. Then came the incident at the cabin. Read More: Where Is Harold and Toni Henthorns Daughter Now? 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. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Prosecutors and police. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Harold Henthorn, and his wife Toni.. Her husband calls 911 but she dies and, at first, it seems like an accident. 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. Haley Henthorn is the daughter of Harold Henthorn. Thus, considering all evidence and statements, the police decided they had enough to charge Harold Henthorn with Toni Henthorns murder. Trending 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. Initially, the couple appeared ecstatic in their new life and were happy with each other. The Jeep was then salvaged. 48 Hours examines the case of Harold Henthorn whose wives died 17 years apart in supposedly freak accidents. How Psychologically Conditioned Rats Are Defusing Landmines, The Innate Intelligence Observed in the Dying Process. His second wife had $4.5 million in life insurance. Friends and family thought they knew him, but did they, really? In September of 2015, three years after the incident, a jury found Harold Henthorn guilty of first-degree murder in the case of Toni Henthorns death. Moments after a federal court jury convicted Harold Henthorn Monday of killing his second wife Toni, a process server surprised Rob Henthorn with court papers compelling him to appear in court in Douglas County Oct. 30 to tell a probate judge what happened to the half million dollars Harold Henthorn transferred to him, or a business controlled by him, in early 2014 before Henthorn was arrested for his wife's murder. 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. Secondly, we wanted to provide a safe and loving environment for Haley, preferably with her mothers Mississippi family. They spoke to a co-worker of Lynns who said the whole scenario seemed suspicious. Harold couldnt account for how the SUV fell off not one, but the two jacks he said hed used to prop it up. I think there is a special place in hell for someone like [Harold].. 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. I am haunted by my wifes lament: When Toni died, I died. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. Was that a dream?". Thus, Harold Henthorn is currently serving his life sentence at the Terre Haute United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Nice, right? Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Every morning, she wakes up asking herself, "Did it really happen? The Bertolets had accepted those quirks early on because thats what a good family does they worked hard at liking the person that made their daughter happy. Harold Henthorn was one calculating and manipulative murderer. She had insurance policies, and Henthorn collected $496,000 from her death. Many notorious serial killers have been sociopaths, such as Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. 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. We are forced to say goodbye, forced to learn to live without our loved one, and forced to fill the emptiness that remains in our hearts. We grieve that we were not by her side in her dying moments. ", After the jury was dismissed, applause erupted in the courtroom. Her husband's past is probed and deadly secrets are revealed. He would put them on speakerphone and then do the majority of the talking, while Tonis voice came in faint and distant, as if she were standing in another room. The letter was from the Department of the Interior, which oversees every one of the countrys 417 national parks. 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. During the initial investigation, Detective Weavers colleagues had found some inconsistencies. 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. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The Defendant severely limited and constrained the mother / daughter relationship of Toni and her mother and closely monitored all communication, not because they didnt get along, but merely because they were too close. My wife is Yvonne and our two sons are Barry and Todd. That wasnt really a concern for the Bertolets Tonis father, Bob, had grown wealthy by making smart bets on pieces of land that turned out to be full of oil. It would have been, except that Toni plunged down a 50-foot cliff to her death. 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. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time After all, his first wife had also died under unusual circumstances, although her death was immediately ruled an accident. 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. 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. 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. Did you arrest the husband yet? shed asked. 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. "We don't have to worry anymore.". For both wives of Harold Henthorn, the locations where they died were deserted and Henthorn was the only other person present. "She contributed a lot to society, and to be wiped out for no good reason, it's more devastating." Detective Weaver now had no doubts. Harold told her he was a wealthy businessman who fundraised for schools and Churches. Then he tried to get the car to fall. After a few years sharpening his golf game Weaver got bored and applied for a job in Douglas, the county just to the south. Their grandchild was now in the care of the man they believed to be her killer. Harold was convicted of first-degree murder, and in 2015 was sentenced to life in federal prison. Employee communication . Yvonne had spent more than a decade suppressing her motherly intuition about Harold so that her daughter would be spared the consequences. Toni worked long and hard in pursuing her goal of being an ophthalmologist. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Perhaps the most difficult part to understand is that Henthorn had it made. 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. The Defendant claimed to be a provider, when, in fact he offered and gave nothing. In the upcoming documentary, Brian Maas will investigate the crime that captured the nation when Harold Henthorn was finally arrested for the murder of his second wife 20 years after the death of his first wife, Sandra Lynn Rishell, aka Lynn . 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.". 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. var sc_security="9a0f0d6e"; The Bertolets found it odd that long after shed ceased to be a baby, Harold kept a video monitor running in his daughters room. July 26, 2017 at 11:59 a.m. It took the jury about 10 hours to find Harold Henthorn, 59, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his second wife, a wealthy Mississippi native. They even uncovered a startling fact: Harold was already a criminal. His wife supported him, he didnt work, and he could have continued to live that life forever. 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. "Believe it or not I forgive him (Henthorn) for doing it. After meeting on a Christian dating website, the two got in touch and connected over their love for religion. Little did Harold Henthorns friends and neighbors know of the terrible secret he had been hiding for most of his married life. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. For some reason, though it was clear she needed their help, Harold yelled at them when they dragged Lynns unconscious body out from underneath the Jeep. Over a year before Lynns death, he had been arrested outside of a J.C. Penney for shoplifting $40 worth of underwear, odd behavior for a man who claimed to be so well off. 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? The sentencing today is the final act in completing our first goal and has opened the door to achieving the second goal. Where Is Harold and Toni Henthorns Daughter Now. In the text, Harold claimed that Toni had fallen off a cliff and was critically injured. At trial, the coroner testified that Tonis lipstick hadnt been mussed, meaning Harold hadnt actually performed CPR.
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