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 detective would later testify to this in court.) Detective Weaver discovered that there were multiple witnesses to the accidents aftermath who were never contacted. Their grandchild was now in the care of the man they believed to be her killer. On September 29, 2012, Harold and Toni Henthorn went for a hike at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. 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. 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. 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. The family had enough money. That detail led to a much closer investigation of Tonis death. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. ". Prosecutors and authorities learned that before Tonis death, she had been subjected twice to injuries allegedly caused by a wooden beam. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. At least that's what he told family, friends, and everyone else. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice James 3:16. Initially quite respected and thought of as a regular citizen, people who knew Henthorn were shocked after his conviction as a murderer. Bundy was recognized for being very charming but also killed more than 30 young women. Harold Henthorn, convicted of killing his second wife by shoving her off a cliff, will not get a new trial according to a ruling. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. As the little boy lay on the emergency room table, he pointed to his head and moaned hurt..hurt. Yvonne wanted Toni to say something, anything. When Weaver finally left the Air Force and asked her where she wanted to live, she chose Denver. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. "https://secure." 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. Harold claimed that one of the cars tires felt mushy, and pulled over to change it. 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. Not long after that he found what a lot of good detectives manage to find: a mantra. Henthorn had been living a lie for years. Harold couldnt account for how the SUV fell off not one, but the two jacks he said hed used to prop it up. Lynn Henthorns death was a tragedy, not a crime. 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. They were the first people to witness his incredibly odd behavior the evening his first wife died. How does she know that a person of perceived trust will not cause her harm? It took Harold 45 minutes to get to her, and he claimed he performed CPR as best he could after dialing 911. Her husband calls 911 but she dies and, at first, it seems like an accident. It went on like this for years, with occasional sunbreaks, moments when both Harold and Tonis moods improved and the union seemed salvageable. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. Yvonne had spent more than a decade suppressing her motherly intuition about Harold so that her daughter would be spared the consequences. To the young person contemplating committing suicide in need of compassion and skillful guidance, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. 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. Was that a dream?". In 2012, Harold and Dr. Toni Henthorn celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary with a hiking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. Douglas County wasnt prepared to investigate Lynns death not only because theyd never seen one like it, but because they werent prepared anything of this magnitude. Henthorn shook his head when the judge polled the jury, and after the verdict was read, one of the jurors hugged Toni Henthorn's mother, Yvonne Bertolet. 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. David Lindley, Multi-Instrumentalist Who Shaped the Sound of Soft Rock, Dead at 78 Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary News Certificate TV-PG Parents guide Add content advisory Storyline Colorado, 2001: Toni Bertolet Henthorn, a doctor and mother, falls from a cliff in the Rockies. Following the death of his first wife, Harold married a second time after meeting Dr. Toni Jill Bertolet Henthorn on a dating site. Henthorn told investigators that his wife paused to take a photo of the view and fell face-first over the ledge. IE 11 is not supported. 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. I would not go anywhere alone with this man.. Nothing budged the car. The Idol: How HBOs Next Euphoria Became Twisted Torture Porn 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. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time The Defendant has blamed the victim for her own death. Harold never said she wasnt allowed, of course. Technically Weaver wasnt even supposed to be a detective. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Toni Henthorn fell to her death off a cliff while hiking with her husband, Harold. Shortly before her death, the change Harold made allowed for double the compensation if Lynn died as a result of an accident. Now that Toni was home by herself in Mississippi, Yvonne could no longer hold her tongue. The Bertolets have always been a close-knit family, loving, helping and protecting one another. "Believe it or not I forgive him (Henthorn) for doing it. The strange saga of Henthorn and his two ill-fated wives began back in the spring of 1995. She told Toni that Harold may have even been having an affair. The Defendant demeaned the investigative authorities for uncovering his murder and sinister intentions. "We are overjoyed with the verdict and relieved this won't happen to any other lady," said Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother. 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. To another he said it was merely spongy. Harold, in contrast to all those grieving family members, had been calm. The letter was from the Department of the Interior, which oversees every one of the countrys 417 national parks. "That was very meaningful," Bertolet said. The 2 Most Psychologically Incisive Films of 2022, The Surprising Role of Empathy in Traumatic Bonding. They can keep it under control most of the time, but sometimes when the opportunity arises, they strike. Lynns death and Harolds behavior, Montoya told him, were still the creepiest thing Ive ever seen.. Harold was later sentenced to life in federal prison. The innocence of a child should not be violated by evil within and, more importantly, evil within a trusted family unit. Toni and Harold Henthorn were celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary the weekend when she died. (This was also brought up in court.) Bertolet said, "There's no doubt he paid for his defense with Toni's money.". CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass has been with the station more than 30 years uncovering waste, fraud and corruption. The sentencing today is the final act in completing our first goal and has opened the door to achieving the second goal. It was Yvonnes job as a surgical nurse and the fact that she kept medical textbooks lying open around the house while Toni was growing up that first inspired Toni to get her start in medicine. Its a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Colorado; Henthorn was 59. Black Widower: How One Man Allegedly Murdered Two Wives. The Bertolets said goodbye to their only daughter a few days later. Even early on, Weaver could see that the truth was leading somewhere he didnt want to be. 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. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. That saying served him well working sex crimes for most of a decade. The U.S. Attorney's crime auditor testified last week that Henthorn had no employment and no steady source of income. The Defendants estate planning was grossly disproportionate as to his gained benefits from the death of his wife, yet showed little or no reciprocity had the circumstances been reversed and he met his untimely death.Grief is the human emotion that is exhibited by the loss of a loved oneit is the price of love. He was 50 when his wife Toni passed away. The spring night was cold and Lynn was only wearing a t-shirt. But every time she broached the subject of Harolds job, the couples lack of money or his need for control over every part of her life, Toni always had the same response: If you do that, Ill suffer the consequences. Harold planned every one of the little girls days and nights. Harold Henthorn flanked by first wife Lynn and second wife Toni. scJsHost+ Todd Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother said, "That was what was so odd. CBS 48 Hours file photos This wasn't the only circumstance that Walsh saw as suspicious. I am haunted by my wifes lament: When Toni died, I died. The audacity of Henthorns crimesand the fact that hes only been charged with one murder, though public opinion has deemed him overwhelmingly guilty of twocontinues to shock and amaze, even years after they first came to light. Overwhelmed by the loss of the child, Toni never wanted to see the hurt in another persons eyes, much less a childs eyes. 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. Harold Hentho Henthorn was able to keep his shoplifting arrest a secret from everyone who knew him. The Defendant claimed to be financially wealthy, when, in fact he had no fortune at all. She died on the operating room after being flown to the hospital in a helicopter. After years of trying, the two managed to have a daughter, Haley. 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. 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. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Stranger still was Harolds behavior on phone calls. After all, Harold was a respected member of the community. All Rights reserved. It does not store any personal data. For both wives of Harold Henthorn, the locations where they died were deserted and Henthorn was the only other person present. He had arrived with grand promises, including a claim that he was so rich that Toni would never have to work again. Tyler Hadley's Killer Party The Defendants entire adult life was a lie and scam to live his life and lifestyle while others paid the price. 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. He was a wealthy fundraiser for hospitals and churches. 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. 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. As fate would have it, the couples Jeep Cherokee suddenly had a problem with one of its tires in the middle of the road. Toni was a medical doctor that had this unique perspective on life, and those moments affirmed her compassionate care and concern for others. How does she know that the person she chooses loves her for who she is and not for her wealth and lifestyle? Many notorious serial killers have been sociopaths, such as Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. 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. A jury convicted him of murdering his second wife, Toni Bertolet, based on evidence that he murdered his first wife, Sandra 'Lynn' Henthorn.