harold henthorn dateline

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. As always, Dateline NBC will use experts, law enforcement officials, and friends and family members to shape the story. 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 . Toni was either a blessing to the people that surrounded her or a lesson to those that she mentored.Toni used her extraordinary abilities to become an accomplished medical physician in the specialty of ophthalmology. 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. According to the testimony later given at a trial, instead of learning for themselves how much money Harold was due to receive from his wifes life insurance, Douglas Countys detectives took his word for it that the payout was $300,000 still a large amount considering his wifes modest social workers salary of $14,000 a year. As fate would have it, the couples Jeep Cherokee suddenly had a problem with one of its tires in the middle of the road. 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. And he maintains his innocence. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Bob Bertolet, Tonis father, and Todd Bertolet, her younger brother, read the following victim impact statements at Harolds sentencing. Douglas County had changed tremendously in the intervening years. They even uncovered a startling fact: Harold was already a criminal. Harold Henthorn, and his wife Toni.. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. If the Bertolets wanted to see their daughter they had to get on a plane, a burden for two elderly parents even before both suffered mild strokes. To one cop, Harold said the tire they pulled over to change was completely flat. 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. After all, they had been witness to Harolds efforts at trying to alienate his second wife from her close ones. Harold couldnt account for how the SUV fell off not one, but the two jacks he said hed used to prop it up. Henthorn has sociopathic tendencies, without doubt, but what makes this so challenging is that a murderer is typically not a sociopath. 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. Harold Henthorn flanked by first wife Lynn and second wife Toni. What Toni meant was that Harold didnt like to be questioned. The sentencing today is the final act in completing our first goal and has opened the door to achieving the second goal. Reached this week, Rob Henthorn declined to discuss the half million dollars and referred questions to his attorney, Pam Mackey. 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. What that something actually was, the Bertolets were slow to find out. Henthorn was able to keep his shoplifting arrest a secret from everyone who knew him. 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. 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. But all was not as it seemed. It just so happened that every time Bob or Yvonne called their daughter, Harold was the one to answer. He then let them take the lead when it came time to give her CPR. Selena Gomez vs. Hailey Bieber: Why Everyone Thinks They Need to Pick a Side. 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. 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. 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. Harold Henthorn pleaded not guilty and has always maintained his innocence. 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. He found a Jeep Cherokee similar to the one that fell on Lynn and went about trying to recreate the scenario that killed her. "She contributed a lot to society, and to be wiped out for no good reason, it's more devastating." The Defendant only made withdrawals and made no deposits in the lives of his wives and their families. When she died, her daughter was only 7 years old. However, Harold kept insisting on his innocence and in 2017 appealed for a retrial which was subsequently shot down. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The Defendant claimed to be financially wealthy, when, in fact he had no fortune at all. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time 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. Her husband calls 911 but she dies and, at first, it seems like an accident. 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. They also would have discovered that the amount was so high because Harold had changed the policy. Still, Harold persisted in his innocence, and in 2017 he filed an appeal for a retrial, which was subsequently denied. If you want to know more about this baffling case and where Harold Henthorn is today, we have you covered. 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. As Warren Buffet stated, Honesty is a very expensive gift. 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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. After meeting on a Christian dating website, the two got in touch and connected over their love for religion. If Harold said they needed a new car, the car got bought. Many notorious serial killers have been sociopaths, such as Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. 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. Even early on, Weaver could see that the truth was leading somewhere he didnt want to be. At that time, her death was quickly deemed an accident. : "http://www. How else to explain all the strangeness? Firstly, we wanted to be a strong voice for Toni and to seek justice in her behalf. I will never celebrate my birthday again. Yvonne and I will never again hear Toni say, Hi Momma, Hi Daddy, this is Sissy.We hear you, Sissy, in our hearts. var sc_project=9846729; Even after shed fallen asleep, Harold found a way to keep his eye on his only child. | Toni was a medical doctor that had this unique perspective on life, and those moments affirmed her compassionate care and concern for others. Friends and family were delighted for the pair, who seemed to be the perfect match. 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. A true parent places a childs needs above their own selfish wants. Tonis family, though, did not have a high opinion of Harold and suspected foul play after her death. Toni. The questions from Douglas County police to Harold were perfunctory. Then, he said, he saw nothing but a blurand Toni was no longer standing there. After being found guilty of first-degree murder, Harold received a life term in federal prison in 2015. In the document, he implied that. Every morning, she wakes up asking herself, "Did it really happen? She had insurance policies, and Henthorn collected $496,000 from her death. That woman on the mountain, she said. Yvonne wanted Toni to say something, anything. 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. On May 6 of that year, Henthorn and his first wife, Sandra Lynn, were driving through the dark. Related: Man Accused in Wife's Deadly Fall Also Killed First Wife: Prosecutor, They seized on Henthorn's inconsistent accounts of the fatal fall and said the evidence did not match his shifting stories. 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. Shatterdaymorn Plot summary Add synopsis Genres 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. Family, friends and co-workers were convinced Harold Henthorn was responsible for his wife's death. Dateline airs Friday nights at 9 PM on NBC. 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. Haley Henthorn is the daughter of Harold Henthorn. And the only reason Weaver was even looking at this thin excuse for a file was that now that same husband was a widower once more. To another he said west. Solutions . Not only for the death of the wife hed just lost, but for the one whod died so many years before. We grieve that we were not by her side in her dying moments. A portrait artist once said that it is only when the details of eyes are revealed that the observer becomes committed to the face and person before them. 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. From the time of Tonis death, the Defendant has made it abundantly clear that he just wanted to move on with his life. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. Toni had fallen off a cliff? Harold Henthorn, and his wife Toni. Montoya wanted to cover his wife with something warm. Then came the incident at the cabin. It took Harold 45 minutes to get to her, and he claimed he performed CPR as best he could after dialing 911. Toni Henthorn was a skilled ophthalmologist and loving mother. There was something else, too, buried inside the file. / CBS Colorado. The Defendant has blamed the victim for her own death. 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. Bob and Yvonne voiced their concerns to Toni when they could, which meant the few times they traveled to Colorado to see her in person and got her alone. Toni and Harold Henthorn were celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary the weekend when she died. Rather, it defines an individual that doesnt meet the criteria for anti-social personality disorder, yet occasionally carries out anti-social acts. The Douglas County Coroner had ruled Lynns death as accidental. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". She told Toni she thought Harold wasnt working as much as he said he was, if at all. Their only daughter was gone. 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. The Denver Channel, 7News, brings you the latest trusted news and information for Denver, Colorado, Mile High and. The Idol: How HBOs Next Euphoria Became Twisted Torture Porn Even though Harold had money, he refused to travel with Toni back to the South. The Defendants so called estate planning banked on and invested heavily in the premature demise of his wife. Then, he asked Sandra to come help him. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Tyler Hadley's Killer Party 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. 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. 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. Feds say Henthorn pushed his wife over a cliff at Rocky Mountain National Park. She was in immense pain and had numbness in her fingers when she was taken by ambulance to the ER. Toni and Harold Henthorn were celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary the weekend when she died. Taking the aforementioned points into account, the police suspect foul play. Her greatest asset was her ability to feel what others were feeling. Follow him on Twitter @Briancbs4. He was indicted on first-degree murder charges earlier this month in the second death and officials believe he is. It was only a few days into the new year, 2013, and only a few weeks after the Douglas County Sheriffs Department received a curious letter. The stories he told police werent at all consistent. 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. 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. scJsHost+ The basic facts of the case are these. It went on like this for years, with occasional sunbreaks, moments when both Harold and Tonis moods improved and the union seemed salvageable. He pushed her.. Detective Weaver discovered that there were multiple witnesses to the accidents aftermath who were never contacted. Then he tried to get the car to fall. Prosecutors and authorities learned that before Tonis death, she had been subjected twice to injuries allegedly caused by a wooden beam. This has nothing to do with borderline personality disorder. 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. It's a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder. DENVER - A Colorado man accused of killing his wife by pushing her off a cliff has been found guilty, CBS Denver reports. 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. 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. And, ultimately, the investigation rattled Harold. If you would like to donate, you can visit www.umc.edu/tonibertoletendowment. Perhaps the most difficult part to understand is that Henthorn had it made. The Defendant proclaimed to be a Christian man when in fact he was an immoral man. Read More: Where Is Harold and Toni Henthorns Daughter Now? But I would be very careful. We feel some of the information in the article is misrepresented or incorrect, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock toldRolling Stone in a statement, but we still have an ongoing criminal investigation and are not at liberty to discuss the case any further.). In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. Nor did the coroners office report whether the contents of Lynns stomach indicated one story was more plausible than the other. Yvonne always considered Toni the best birthday present she ever received. Technically he was retired. Maybe even that she would leave Harold. The Defendant vilified and chastised each Good Samaritan and rescuer that attempted to come to the aid of his critically injured wives; aid which he never gave nor intended to give. Toni Bertolet Henthorn died after she was pushed off a cliff during an anniversary hike in Rock Mountain National Park. "We are overjoyed with the verdict and relieved this won't happen to any other lady," said Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Initially quite respected and thought of as a regular citizen, people who knew Henthorn were shocked after his conviction as a murderer. Storyline Colorado, 2001: Toni Bertolet Henthorn, a doctor and mother, falls from a cliff in the Rockies. That saying served him well working sex crimes for most of a decade. Suffer the consequences meant having to listen to Harold talk until he got what he wanted. She called the Sheriffs office the next day to ask where she could pick up the coat. Grief means coping, emptiness, adjusting, loss, and sadness. Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary News Certificate TV-PG Parents guide Add content advisory 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. The travel for work that didnt seem, to Yvonne at least, to be real? And that was the end of the story, except for one detail: according to investigator Robert McMahan, On the front passenger fender of the vehicle, right behind the wheel well of the missing wheel, was an apparent partial foot print type mark. Meaning it looked like someone had tried to kick the car off its jack. That detail led to a much closer investigation of Tonis death. However, his first wife, Lynn . In 2012, Harold and Dr. Toni Henthorn celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary with a hiking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. Harold Henthorn and Toni Henthorn tied the knot in 2000. July 26, 2017 at 11:59 a.m. Friends and family thought they knew him, but did they, really? 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. 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. A year after he was sentenced to life in prison, it doesnt look like Harolds appeal has yet been carried out. After years of trying, the two managed to have a daughter, Haley. Now that effort is laid to waste. To one cop, Harold said he and Lynn ate dinner at a nearby restaurant just prior to the 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. When that didnt work, he threw it a little harder. On September 29, 2012, Harold and Toni Henthorn went for a hike at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. During the initial investigation, Detective Weavers colleagues had found some inconsistencies. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. To the young man who thought he needed a new prescription for his glasses, but was diagnosed by Toni with an aggressive brain tumor requiring immediate intervention, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. The money was purportedly for a business investment, according to evidence presented at an earlier federal court hearing. He was a wealthy fundraiser for hospitals and churches. On May 6, 1995, Harold and Lynndecided to go on a long drive along a highway in Sedalia, Colorado. The sentence to be handed down by this court is the only result that the Defendant has actually earned in his adult life. Buried inside the report, Detective Weaver found a reference to a footprint. 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. He was 50 when his wife Toni passed away. 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. Harold Henthorn is 60 years old as he was born on January 10, 1962. The U.S. Attorney's crime auditor testified last week that Henthorn had no employment and no steady source of income. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. They couldnt talk about Harold on the phone, since every call with her was also a call with him. Editors picks 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. But there was something else. The Bertolets found it odd that long after shed ceased to be a baby, Harold kept a video monitor running in his daughters room. Harold Henthorn, accused of pushing his second wife to her death in Rocky Mountain National Park, is being eyed in the 1995 death of his first wife. Bertolet said, "There's no doubt he paid for his defense with Toni's money.". Her dreams seemed to come true when she met Harold. 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. 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. No physical evidence remained. 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.