On September 29, 2012, Harold and Toni Henthorn went for a hike at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The Defendant chose his own selfishness and greed over the needs of his family. Yvonne had spent more than a decade suppressing her motherly intuition about Harold so that her daughter would be spared the consequences. 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. 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. 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. 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. To Detective Weaver, it was just one sign among many that the investigation was botched from the beginning. (When reached for comment, the Douglas County Sheriffs Department disputed this characterization, but said they could not elaborate. Harold planned every one of the little girls days and nights. 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. 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. Technically he was retired. To the young person contemplating committing suicide in need of compassion and skillful guidance, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. Her greatest asset was her ability to feel what others were feeling. "); Toni. When that didnt work, he threw it a little harder. Friends and family thought they knew him, but did they, really? 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. But all was not as it seemed. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. July 26, 2017 at 11:59 a.m. The travel for work that didnt seem, to Yvonne at least, to be real? Which he always did. To another he said it was merely spongy. Toni and Harold Henthorn were celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary the weekend when she died. 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. Thus, considering all evidence and statements, the police decided they had enough to charge Harold Henthorn with Toni Henthorns murder. We feel guilt that we failed to act on our suspicions concerning Tonis welfare in her marriage. There were other inconsistencies too. Buried inside the report, Detective Weaver found a reference to a footprint. Case closed. They were the first people to witness his incredibly odd behavior the evening his first wife died. In each case, the Defendant made arrangements to be a lucky recipient of significant benefits from those deathshis own version a post mortem lottery. To one cop, Harold said that he jacked up the fallen car and pulled Lynn out from underneath it in a desperate attempt to save her life. It would be years before they would find justice. 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. Tonis brother Barry Bertolet spoke at the sentencing. It took Harold 45 minutes to get to her, and he claimed he performed CPR as best he could after dialing 911. How Psychologically Conditioned Rats Are Defusing Landmines, The Innate Intelligence Observed in the Dying Process. 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. 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. They spoke to a co-worker of Lynns who said the whole scenario seemed suspicious. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Harold told her he was a wealthy businessman who fundraised for schools and Churches. We agonize over the question: Did Toni know she was being murdered and what were her thoughts as she fell 140 feet? It does not store any personal data. 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. Can Humans Detect Text by AI Chatbot GPT? Toni Henthorn fell to her death off a cliff while hiking with her husband, Harold. Harold was usually cheery, often irrepressibly so. Weaver was the man for the job because even in a room full of patient people, his patience marked him as different. 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. That detail led to a much closer investigation of Tonis death. 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. The Defendant only made withdrawals and made no deposits in the lives of his wives and their families. The Bertolets said goodbye to their only daughter a few days later. 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. Something wasnt right, and Yvonne wanted to talk with Toni. 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. Prosecutors said Harold. However, Harold kept insisting on his innocence and in 2017 appealed for a retrial which was subsequently shot down. Gary Clexton, a court-appointed special administrator representing Toni Henthorn's estate, declined to discuss the new court case involving Rob Henthorn and the half million dollars. This is an adapted chapter from Caleb Hannans new Kindle Single The Accidents; read the full story here. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. You do with this what you want to. 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. 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. To some people he said the Jeep fell when he threw the flat tire into the open hatch in the back. 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. She was a beautiful hazel-eyed blonde Southern Belle who excelled in academics, sports, music and leadership. The Sheriffs Office grew with it, from a few dozen to some 500 employees. "We are overjoyed with the verdict and relieved this won't happen to any other lady," said Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother. In 2000, Harold Henthorn married eye doctor Toni Bertolet after they met on a Christian dating website. A chance to speak frankly with her daughter was something she hadnt had for a long time and Yvonne didnt waste it. Maybe even that she would leave Harold. Investigators searched deeper and found that Henthorn's first wife, Sandra, died in 1995 when their Jeep Cherokee fell on her. Harold Henthorn was one calculating and manipulative murderer. Oh it was nothing, Mrs. B! Harold had insisted on one of their phone calls afterwards. 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. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. To another he said west. Her husband's past is probed and deadly secrets are revealed. At trial, the coroner testified that Tonis lipstick hadnt been mussed, meaning Harold hadnt actually performed CPR. He needed things done his way something that was becoming more and more evident with each passing day. My name is Bob Bertolet, father of the victim, Toni Bertolet Henthorn. Her dreams seemed to come true when she met Harold. The Defendants so called estate planning banked on and invested heavily in the premature demise of his wife. Then, he said, he saw nothing but a blurand Toni was no longer standing there. Harold Henthorn, convicted of killing his second wife by shoving her off a cliff, will not get a new trial according to a ruling. 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. The case now before Weaver was different, though. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He had seen a lot. Bertolet said, "There's no doubt he paid for his defense with Toni's money.". The spring night was cold and Lynn was only wearing a t-shirt. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It went on like this for years, with occasional sunbreaks, moments when both Harold and Tonis moods improved and the union seemed salvageable. "Believe it or not I forgive him (Henthorn) for doing it. 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. At that time, her death was quickly deemed an accident. 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. The Defendant evidently perceived a strong and viable mother / daughter relationship as a threat to his authority in his warped world. The Bertolets could sense that Toni was unhappy but felt there was little they could do about it. Dateline reporter Andrea Canning talked with family members who still live in Mississippi and retraced the day of her death and the investigation by federal authorities. 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! These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) November 23, 2016 A few weeks later, in early December, a judge handed down the official sentence: life in prison. Additionally, the police ascertained that Harold stood to gain substantial life insurance money following Tonis demise, which gave him a motive for murder. 48 Hours examines the case of Harold Henthorn whose wives died 17 years apart in supposedly freak accidents. Douglas County had changed tremendously in the intervening years. 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. document.write("
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