As always, Dateline NBC will use experts, law enforcement officials, and friends and family members to shape the story. Toni always carried the pain of a loss, but she also knew what those tragic moments taught her as a person. She was deeply religious-teaching Sunday school, singing in both college and church choirs. It went on like this for years, with occasional sunbreaks, moments when both Harold and Tonis moods improved and the union seemed salvageable. Now he needed an answer to a question that was gnawing at him. After Tonis death, the Defendant routinely proclaimed that Haley Henthorn was doing just fine without her mother. Additionally, detectives also discovered that shortly before Lynns death, Harold had doubled her life insurance in case of death by accident and subsequently had collected a lumpsum amount. Afterwards she would discover what it was that had hurt her so badly: a large piece of lumber that Harold said fell off the porch. He had seen a lot. It had been a full day, and the sun had set. 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. 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. Harold Henthorn, 59, was convicted of one count of first-degree murder in the 2012 death of his second wife, Dr. Toni Henthorn. It's a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder. 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. Now that effort is laid to waste. 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. Weaver was the man for the job because even in a room full of patient people, his patience marked him as different. var sc_invisible=0; (The detective would later testify to this in court.) 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! 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. var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? Harold said Toni got a text message from the babysitter, letting her know that her daughters soccer team had won. To one cop, Harold said that they were driving east. Suffer the consequences meant having to listen to Harold talk until he got what he wanted. But I would be very careful. By Kirk Mitchell. Dale Archer, M.D., is a clinical psychiatrist and the author of Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional. var sc_security="9a0f0d6e"; Harold Henthorn, and his wife Toni. We feel guilt that we failed to act on our suspicions concerning Tonis welfare in her marriage. 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. Technically he was retired. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. 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. She was an eye surgeon. Investigators searched deeper and found that Henthorn's first wife, Sandra, died in 1995 when their Jeep Cherokee fell on her. If Toni mentioned a stove wasnt working properly or noticed something else that needed fixing, the issue got deliberated for hours, until Toni was so exhausted by the argument that she gave up. Selling the Bro Dream: Are Frat Boys Peddling Vemma Suckers? The Bertolets have always been a close-knit family, loving, helping and protecting one another. She was in immense pain and had numbness in her fingers when she was taken by ambulance to the ER. Detective Weaver discovered that there were multiple witnesses to the accidents aftermath who were never contacted. On May 6, 1995, Harold and Lynndecided to go on a long drive along a highway in Sedalia, Colorado. The Idol: How HBOs Next Euphoria Became Twisted Torture Porn 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. His first wife Lynn died in 1995 after a car held up by a jack fell on her. Then came more subtle attempts to choke off any contact Toni might have with those who loved her. Hey Mrs. B! Harold would say, using the pet name hed given Yvonne. He took away one jack and ran through the whole scenario again. He had arrived with grand promises, including a claim that he was so rich that Toni would never have to work again. Similar to his first wifes death, Harold Henthorn began showing inconsistencies in his statements, but the police were cautious this time. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. A jury convicted Henthorn of murder in 2015 after about 10 and a half hours of deliberation. He was constantly talking, often bragging, and always had to be the center of attention. He probably could have continued to live that lie, but if he did this, then greed got the best of him. Little did Harold Henthorns friends and neighbors know of the terrible secret he had been hiding for most of his married life. 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.". We can forgive a child for being afraid of the dark, but we cannot forgive the darkness of selfish desolation that lies within the Defendants heart.The Defendant would have us erroneously believe that he is an unlucky man, a hard luck husband, and a person in which lightning has tragically struck twice. After his second wife died in an accident, authorities found that circumstances of his first wife's death were more suspicious than they realized. You do with this what you want to. When that didnt work, he threw it a little harder. Toni worked long and hard in pursuing her goal of being an ophthalmologist. Harold Henthorn was a grieving widower. When Weaver finally left the Air Force and asked her where she wanted to live, she chose Denver. The family had enough money. There was something else, too, buried inside the file. And, strangest of all from Montoyas perspective, Harold refused to hand over the coat he was wearing. 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. "That was very meaningful," Bertolet said. Although Harold pleaded not guilty at his trial, the jury did not deliberate long before pronouncing him guilty. Even after shed fallen asleep, Harold found a way to keep his eye on his only child. He was older. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. At the bottom it reads: In Loving Memory, January 10, 1962-September 29, 2012. The letter was from the Department of the Interior, which oversees every one of the countrys 417 national parks. 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. Montoya wanted to cover his wife with something warm. Harold Henthorn with Sandra Lynn, his first wife. The Defendant is neither a good father nor a replacement for a loving mother. "She contributed a lot to society, and to be wiped out for no good reason, it's more devastating." How Psychologically Conditioned Rats Are Defusing Landmines, The Innate Intelligence Observed in the Dying Process. "Toni was either a blessing to the people that surrounded her or a lesson to those that she mentored. It does not store any personal data. 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. She told Toni that Harold may have even been having an affair. Nice, right? The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time And there was one huge, almost shockingly damning piece of evidence the prosecution used against Harold. One night, something happened at that cabin that left Toni recovering in a hospital bed. I am haunted by my wifes lament: When Toni died, I died. The Defendants entire adult life was a lie and scam to live his life and lifestyle while others paid the price. When Dave Weaver first sat down with the file he wasnt impressed. I dont think that was an accident at all, she said, sitting on a bed next to Toni. In the text, Harold claimed that Toni had fallen off a cliff and was critically injured. After all, Harold was a respected member of the community. After all, his first wife had also died under unusual circumstances, although her death was immediately ruled an accident. I think there is a special place in hell for someone like [Harold].. Can Humans Detect Text by AI Chatbot GPT? Shatterdaymorn Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Oh it was nothing, Mrs. B! Harold had insisted on one of their phone calls afterwards. We want to hear it. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 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. Her mother, Yvonne Bertolet, says two years since her death, she still finds herself reaching for the phone to call her daughter. Toni sat next to her mother saying nothing. 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. She died on the operating room after being flown to the hospital in a helicopter. 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. 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. Prosecutors said Harold. Tonis brother Barry Bertolet spoke at the sentencing. Bertolet said, "There's no doubt he paid for his defense with Toni's money.". We agonize over the question: Did Toni know she was being murdered and what were her thoughts as she fell 140 feet? Dateline Toni Henthorn, Harold Henrhorn's 37-year-old wife, was killed in October 2015. They can keep it under control most of the time, but sometimes when the opportunity arises, they strike. 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. The Defendant claimed to be a family man, when, in fact he was a selfish man. The only witness to the accident was her husband. The money was purportedly for a business investment, according to evidence presented at an earlier federal court hearing. This trial was about the last moment in Tonis life and the moment that Toni took her last breath, he saidand he was actually speaking for two Bertolets; his brother, Todd, wrote the statement. statements about the tragedy kept changing. As fate would have it, the couples Jeep Cherokee suddenly had a problem with one of its tires in the middle of the road. 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. Something wasnt right, and Yvonne wanted to talk with Toni. Video marketing. In 2014 federal magistrate judge Kathleen Tafoya said at a hearing, "The court views these transfers as an attempt to hide $500,000 in cash assets which could be used should the defendant decide to flee the country. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. My name is Bob Bertolet, father of the victim, Toni Bertolet Henthorn. Her dreams seemed to come true when she met Harold. 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. Thus, considering all evidence and statements, the police decided they had enough to charge Harold Henthorn with Toni Henthorns murder. Earnings for Henthorn were in 1993, 1999, and 2000, but nothing after that. The stories he told police werent at all consistent. After all, Harold was a respected member of the community. 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. They spoke to a co-worker of Lynns who said the whole scenario seemed suspicious. Follow him on Twitter @Briancbs4. I feel for him and his family. It is often said that when a brilliant mind, talent, and heart come together as one, one should expect a Masterpiece. Buried inside the report, Detective Weaver found a reference to a footprint. He pushed her, said Tonis father, Bob. Harold Henthorn and Toni Henthorn tied the knot in 2000. To one cop, Harold said the tire they pulled over to change was completely flat. CBS 48 Hours file photos This wasn't the only circumstance that Walsh saw as suspicious. When she died, her daughter was only 7 years old. Technically Weaver wasnt even supposed to be a detective. 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. We never imagined that murder would come into our lives like a thief in the night. Even early on, Weaver could see that the truth was leading somewhere he didnt want to be. The lead investigator made mention of a partial print on the wheel well, above the missing tire, the same one that Lynn had supposedly been trying to help change when she was killed. Detective Weaver now had no doubts. Unlucky in love, but a success just about everywhere else. The Defendants phony status and perception took priority over his family, and he chose family and friends based solely on his ability to deceive the same. "Believe it or not I forgive him (Henthorn) for doing it. Maybe even that she would leave Harold. Haley is not fine without her mother. To Toni Bertolet Henthorns family, her friends, and the people for whom she cared, Tonis life was about the moments that took our breath away., Beyond even that, Sandras brother, Kevin Richell, went so far as to apologize to Tonis family for not seeing through the curious circumstances surrounding Sandras death. So Yvonne continued with a final warning. This begs the question, why was he deceiving himself? 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. 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. To the young medical physician in need of an accomplished mentor to guide a promising medical career, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. 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. Yvonne had spent more than a decade suppressing her motherly intuition about Harold so that her daughter would be spared the consequences. 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. Gacy was a popular Chicago contractor who entertained children in hospitals, yet also raped, tortured, and killed 33 young men. To another he said it wasnt him Lynn was actually rescued by a random group of helpful strangers. He had done a lot: Two tours in Vietnam, a return to the country to help evacuate Saigon and 20 years patrolling Air Force bases. Before becoming a detective hed spent decades moving his wife from base to base. IE 11 is not supported. He told them, We are beyond sorry for not seeing through it. 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. Her husband, Harold Henthorn, was convicted of first-degree murder in. After years of trying, the two managed to have a daughter, Haley. They were out hiking when Toni lost her balance on a steep cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park on September 29th, 2012, bleeding out on the ground 130 feet below where she fell. The Bertolets found it odd that long after shed ceased to be a baby, Harold kept a video monitor running in his daughters room. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It would take a lot less time to find out that for Harold, their son-in-law, his tragic present looked very much like his past. How does she know that grief and sadness will not fall upon her again at the hands of a person she trusted? During the initial investigation, Detective Weavers colleagues had found some inconsistencies. That she would take it to heart. Her greatest asset was her ability to feel what others were feeling. She was a beautiful hazel-eyed blonde Southern Belle who excelled in academics, sports, music and leadership. 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. | Lynns death and Harolds behavior, Montoya told him, were still the creepiest thing Ive ever seen.. A true parent places a childs needs above their own selfish wants. The Defendant proclaimed to be a Christian man when in fact he was an immoral man. July 26, 2017 at 11:59 a.m. Toni Henthorn's brother, Todd Bertolet, told CBS4, "They're going to go after assets that should be in Toni's estate." 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.
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