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. Detective Weaver now had no doubts. 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. We never imagined that murder would come into our lives like a thief in the night. It had been a full day, and the sun had set. 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. But there was something else. Toni and Harold Henthorn were celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary the weekend when she died. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The lies? I am haunted by my wifes lament: When Toni died, I died. var sc_security="9a0f0d6e"; At first glance, it wasnt even apparent that it was a case. Yvonne always considered Toni the best birthday present she ever received. The questions from Douglas County police to Harold were perfunctory. Grief means coping, emptiness, adjusting, loss, and sadness. Montoya and her family had been driving home that night from a day of fishing and picnicking when Harold appeared in the glow of their cars headlights and waved them down. 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. Still, Harold persisted in his innocence, and in 2017 he filed an appeal for a retrial, which was subsequently denied. A jury returned a guilty verdict Monday in its second day of deliberations. 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. Bertolet said he and his family believe Harold Henthorn funneled the $500,000 to his brother anticipating that he would eventually be charged criminally for Toni Henthorn's death and might not have access to the money. That woman on the mountain, she said. Did you arrest the husband yet? shed asked. scJsHost+ His attorney, Craig Truman, said prosecutors failed to prove he killed her. Case closed. Create and promote branded videos, host live events and webinars, and more. 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. To some people he said the Jeep fell when he threw the flat tire into the open hatch in the back. His second wife had $4.5 million in life insurance. Incidentally, the highway was quite deserted at that time of the year and did not witness much traffic. 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. Hey Mrs. B! Harold would say, using the pet name hed given Yvonne. But was it an accident? 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. The Jeep was then salvaged. Shatterdaymorn Plot summary Add synopsis Genres 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. The Defendant claimed to be a provider, when, in fact he offered and gave nothing. When Detective Weaver called her nearly 20 years later and asked if she had any idea why he, an officer from Douglas County, might be calling out of the blue, Montoyas answer came quick and definitive. Friends and family were delighted for the pair, who seemed to be the perfect match. We are hoping that you have no more nights, no more pain, no more tears with the Heavenly Father. What that something actually was, the Bertolets were slow to find out. Her mother, Yvonne Bertolet, says two years since her death, she still finds herself reaching for the phone to call her daughter. 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. Similar to his first wifes death, Harold Henthorn began showing inconsistencies in his statements, but the police were cautious this time. 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. 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. Henthorn was indicted on Nov. 6 in the death of his second wife, who fell to her death while hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. Gacy was a popular Chicago contractor who entertained children in hospitals, yet also raped, tortured, and killed 33 young men. He was 50 when his wife Toni passed away. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Tom Sizemore, Heat and Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dead at 61 The Defendant only made withdrawals and made no deposits in the lives of his wives and their families. This is "Dateline NBC: Henthorn Case" by Vicky Collins on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. It would be years before they would find justice. One night, something happened at that cabin that left Toni recovering in a hospital bed. Harold Henthorn, and his wife Toni.. On September 29, 2012, Harold and Toni Henthorn went for a hike at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. 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. The 2 Most Psychologically Incisive Films of 2022, The Surprising Role of Empathy in Traumatic Bonding. In each case, the Defendant made arrangements to be a lucky recipient of significant benefits from those deathshis own version a post mortem lottery. Feds say Henthorn pushed his wife over a cliff at Rocky Mountain National Park. 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. Henthorn told investigators that his wife paused to take a photo of the view and fell face-first over the ledge. 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. Trending They even uncovered a startling fact: Harold was already a criminal. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. They were the first people to witness his incredibly odd behavior the evening his first wife died. He told them, We are beyond sorry for not seeing through it. IE 11 is not supported. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Then, while she was standing below a raised porch with her back turned, Toni felt the weight of something heavy hit her on the neck and knock her to the ground. | The control Harold seemed to demand over Toni extended to their daughter as well. Thus, Harold Henthorn is currently serving his life sentence at the Terre Haute United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Police investigators, however, believe that Harold murdered them. Then came the incident at the cabin. Toni Henthorn fell to her death off a cliff while hiking with her husband, Harold. 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. To the young person contemplating committing suicide in need of compassion and skillful guidance, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. 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. Can Humans Detect Text by AI Chatbot GPT? He pushed her, said Tonis father, Bob. When Weaver finally left the Air Force and asked her where she wanted to live, she chose Denver. "That was very meaningful," Bertolet said. He rested the car on the same type of jacks Harold said hed used, in the same spot on the same side of the road where Lynn died. As an ophthalmologist, Tonis commitment was her recurring choice to make a positive difference in the lives of so many. Suffer the consequences meant having to listen to Harold talk until he got what he wanted. 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. Storyline Colorado, 2001: Toni Bertolet Henthorn, a doctor and mother, falls from a cliff in the Rockies. Harold Henthorn with Sandra Lynn, his first wife. Bundy was recognized for being very charming but also killed more than 30 young women. 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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Harold Henthorn, 59, was convicted of one count of first-degree murder in the 2012 death of his second wife, Dr. Toni Henthorn. Technically he was retired. She had insurance policies, and Henthorn collected $496,000 from her death. A year after he was sentenced to life in prison, it doesnt look like Harolds appeal has yet been carried out. Harold Henthorn and Toni Henthorn tied the knot in 2000. Harold Henthorn pleaded not guilty and has always maintained his innocence. The innocence of a child should not be violated by evil within and, more importantly, evil within a trusted family unit. When she died, her daughter was only 7 years old. 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. Maybe even that she would leave Harold. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Little did Harold Henthorns friends and neighbors know of the terrible secret he had been hiding for most of his married life. And there was one huge, almost shockingly damning piece of evidence the prosecution used against Harold. Testimony in the Henthorn trial showed Harold Henthorn never really had steady employment, had brought in no income while married to Toni Henthorn, and had been living off his ophthalmologist wife and her family's money for years. Yet as soon as she moved to Colorado, Toni was no longer able to speak to her mother alone. Firstly, we wanted to be a strong voice for Toni and to seek justice in her behalf. 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 . 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 sentencing today is the final act in completing our first goal and has opened the door to achieving the second goal. 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. 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. By Kirk Mitchell. Henthorn has sociopathic tendencies, without doubt, but what makes this so challenging is that a murderer is typically not a sociopath. 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. Not only for the death of the wife hed just lost, but for the one whod died so many years before. When that didnt work, he threw it a little harder. 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. 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. Tonis family, though, did not have a high opinion of Harold and suspected foul play after her death. The Defendant demeaned the investigative authorities for uncovering his murder and sinister intentions. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Harold couldnt account for how the SUV fell off not one, but the two jacks he said hed used to prop it up. Rather, it defines an individual that doesnt meet the criteria for anti-social personality disorder, yet occasionally carries out anti-social acts. As Warren Buffet stated, Honesty is a very expensive gift. We want to hear it. Phone calls and emails from CBS4 to Mackey were not returned. 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. 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. Harold told her he was a wealthy businessman who fundraised for schools and Churches. 48 Hours examines the case of Harold Henthorn whose wives died 17 years apart in supposedly freak accidents. 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. Finally, Detective Weaver took his foot and, in the same place where the original partial print was found, kicked the Jeep. A former rural ranching community turned, nearly overnight, into one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. Editors picks This begs the question, why was he deceiving himself? Nothing budged the car. He had arrived with grand promises, including a claim that he was so rich that Toni would never have to work again. Thus, considering all evidence and statements, the police decided they had enough to charge Harold Henthorn with Toni Henthorns murder. A Colorado jury of eight women and four men deliberated for 12 hours over two days before deciding Monday afternoon that Harold Henthorn, 59, was guilty of murdering his wife three years ago. 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. I know he killed her, he says. How else to explain all the strangeness? 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. She told Toni she thought Harold wasnt working as much as he said he was, if at all. The Bertolets found it odd that long after shed ceased to be a baby, Harold kept a video monitor running in his daughters room. For both wives of Harold Henthorn, the locations where they died were deserted and Henthorn was the only other person present. 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. "We don't have to worry anymore.". 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.