It would be years before they would find justice. My name is Bob Bertolet, father of the victim, Toni Bertolet Henthorn. Finally, Detective Weaver took his foot and, in the same place where the original partial print was found, kicked the Jeep. Editors picks I am haunted by my wifes lament: When Toni died, I died. 48 Hours examines the case of Harold Henthorn whose wives died 17 years apart in supposedly freak accidents. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. She was killed while trying to change a flat tire when the car she was underneath fell on top of her, thousands of pounds of metal pinning her to the ground. She had a passion to console and give advice to those who were in need of direction and comfort. Technically Weaver wasnt even supposed to be a detective. 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. In 2012, Harold and Dr. Toni Henthorn celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary with a hiking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. Toni Bertolet Henthorn died after she was pushed off a cliff during an anniversary hike in Rock Mountain National Park. 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The strange saga of Henthorn and his two ill-fated wives began back in the spring of 1995. 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. He's either guilty of two murders or he has a perplexing attraction to exceedingly unlucky women. "); Harold Henthorn flanked by first wife Lynn and second wife Toni. Her husband, Harold Henthorn, was convicted of first-degree murder in her death. He told them, We are beyond sorry for not seeing through it. 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.). But the rescue team couldnt make it to their position in time, and Toni died. Old Medication, New Use: Can Prazosin Curb Drinking? At one time she had been assertive and confident a former high school athlete with a deep commitment to God and an unwavering belief that she was put on Earth to help people heal. Lynns death and Harolds behavior, Montoya told him, were still the creepiest thing Ive ever seen.. Although Harold pleaded not guilty at his trial, the jury did not deliberate long before pronouncing him guilty. 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. Friends and family thought they knew him, but did they, really? Prosecutors and police. Hulus Wild Crime tells the story of Harold Henthorn and how he almost got away with murder. 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. Did you arrest the husband yet? shed asked. All of this led to the filing of murder charges last week. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. Dateline airs Friday nights at 9 PM on NBC. I think there is a special place in hell for someone like [Harold].. 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. Harold Henthorn, and his wife Toni.. But all was not as it seemed. And, strangest of all from Montoyas perspective, Harold refused to hand over the coat he was wearing. 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. It took Harold 45 minutes to get to her, and he claimed he performed CPR as best he could after dialing 911. To the young man facing total blindness from an injury requiring the skilled hands of a surgeon, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. Sandra's death is now being re-investigated more thoroughly by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. By Kirk Mitchell. This begs the question, why was he deceiving himself? The Defendants entire adult life was a lie and scam to live his life and lifestyle while others paid the price. The story behind that tragedy was revealed last November in an episode of CBS' "48 Hours" and, apparently, more details are forthcoming with the "Dateline" broadcast this month. Bob and Yvonne watched as Harold slowly took control of Tonis life. CBS 48 Hours file photos This wasn't the only circumstance that Walsh saw as suspicious. 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. 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. 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. It does not store any personal data. The Bertolets have always been a close-knit family, loving, helping and protecting one another. At the bottom it reads: In Loving Memory, January 10, 1962-September 29, 2012. To another he said it wasnt him Lynn was actually rescued by a random group of helpful strangers. A true parent places a childs needs above their own selfish wants. At first glance, it wasnt even apparent that it was a case. Harold and Toni Henthorn (credit CBS) A federal jury convicted Henthorn of pushing his second wife, Toni, off a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2012. var sc_invisible=0; Gacy was a popular Chicago contractor who entertained children in hospitals, yet also raped, tortured, and killed 33 young men. But was it an accident? 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. 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. Montoya wanted to cover his wife with something warm. 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. 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. Yet as soon as she moved to Colorado, Toni was no longer able to speak to her mother alone. All of Lynns belongings, along with the Jeep, were returned to Harold. Toni Bertolet Henthorn died after she was pushed off a cliff during an anniversary hike in Rock Mountain National Park. 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. Their grandchild was now in the care of the man they believed to be her killer. Not long after that he found what a lot of good detectives manage to find: a mantra. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Even early on, Weaver could see that the truth was leading somewhere he didnt want to be. The Defendant is neither a good father nor a replacement for a loving mother. Detective Weaver heard something similar from Rebecca Roberts. Toni Henthorn was a skilled ophthalmologist and loving mother. To another he said west. Investigators searched deeper and found that Henthorn's first wife, Sandra, died in 1995 when their Jeep Cherokee fell on her. Storyline Colorado, 2001: Toni Bertolet Henthorn, a doctor and mother, falls from a cliff in the Rockies. Then he tried to get the car to fall. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Toni and Harold Henthorn were celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary the weekend when she died. In photographs released by the US Attorney's Office after the. Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. January 10th was one day short of her mothers birthday on January 11th. In fact, the Defendant has never been unlucky; only the Defendants wives have been unlucky with their untimely and obscure deaths. The Douglas County Coroner had ruled Lynns death as accidental. The family had enough money. He slammed the tailgate. He was 50 when his wife Toni passed away. How else to explain all the strangeness? For both wives of Harold Henthorn, the locations where they died were deserted and Henthorn was the only other person present. A jury convicted Henthorn of murder in 2015 after about 10 and a half hours of deliberation. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. On May 6, 1995, Harold and Sandra were driving home after a day of hiking. Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary News Certificate TV-PG Parents guide Add content advisory He had her body cremated, scattered the ashes on Colorados Red Mountain, and collected the $4.7 million life insurance payout from the plan she had recently signed up for. Yvonne always considered Toni the best birthday present she ever received. Harold Henthorn, convicted of killing his second wife by shoving her off a cliff, will not get a new trial according to a ruling. She had insurance policies, and Henthorn collected $496,000 from her death. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Here's everything to know about them. It wasnt until Toni came back to Mississippi to visit, for the first and only time in a decade without Harold, that Yvonne began to worry for her daughters safety. 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 Henthorn is 60 years old as he was born on January 10, 1962. The Defendant never showed grief as to the loss of Toni, and has yet to tell anyone in this family that he actually loved her. The lies? They spoke to a co-worker of Lynns who said the whole scenario seemed suspicious. To the young person contemplating committing suicide in need of compassion and skillful guidance, Tonis life mattered and was indispensable. We agonize over the question: Did Toni know she was being murdered and what were her thoughts as she fell 140 feet? I would not go anywhere alone with this man.. IE 11 is not supported. The Defendants so called estate planning banked on and invested heavily in the premature demise of his wife. The Defendant evidently perceived a strong and viable mother / daughter relationship as a threat to his authority in his warped world. The Accidental Husband: With Peter Van Sant, Brian Maass, Barry Bertolet, Toni Henthorn. 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. Toni Henthorn's brother, Todd Bertolet, told CBS4, "They're going to go after assets that should be in Toni's estate." Then came more subtle attempts to choke off any contact Toni might have with those who loved her. 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. Henthorn has sociopathic tendencies, without doubt, but what makes this so challenging is that a murderer is typically not a sociopath. Harold Henthorn had taken out three life insurance policies totaling $4.5 million before the death of his wife, Toni, on Sept. 29, 2012. Additionally, the police ascertained that Harold stood to gain substantial life insurance money following Tonis demise, which gave him a motive for murder. To one cop, Harold said that they were driving east. After being found guilty of first-degree murder, Harold received a life term in federal prison in 2015. Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. Nor did the coroners office report whether the contents of Lynns stomach indicated one story was more plausible than the other. When Weaver finally left the Air Force and asked her where she wanted to live, she chose Denver. ", VIDEO:Watch the CBS4 special "Inside The Investigation: Harold Henthorn. 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. Harold and Toni Henthorn Toni and Harold met online in 1999 and married just nine months later. The Defendant proclaimed to be a Christian man when in fact he was an immoral man. The Defendant demeaned the investigative authorities for uncovering his murder and sinister intentions. Toni Henthorn fell to her death off a cliff while hiking with her husband, Harold. 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. 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 said Toni got a text message from the babysitter, letting her know that her daughters soccer team had won. They can keep it under control most of the time, but sometimes when the opportunity arises, they strike. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time His second wife had $4.5 million in life insurance. Todd Bertolet, Toni Henthorn's brother said, "That was what was so odd. 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. 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. September 23, 2015 / 11:02 PM Thus, Harold Henthorn is currently serving his life sentence at the Terre Haute United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Harold Henthorn talked to many different members of Douglas County law enforcement on May 6th, 1995, the night his wife Lynn died after being crushed underneath their Jeep Cherokee. Selena Gomez vs. Hailey Bieber: Why Everyone Thinks They Need to Pick a Side. 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. Shortly before her death, the change Harold made allowed for double the compensation if Lynn died as a result of an accident. His wife supported him, he didnt work, and he could have continued to live that life forever. A jury convicted him of murdering his second wife, Toni Bertolet, based on evidence that he murdered his first wife, Sandra 'Lynn' Henthorn. What kind of mind thinks like that to kill based on an opportunity? The money was purportedly for a business investment, according to evidence presented at an earlier federal court hearing. The case now before Weaver was different, though. Harold was usually cheery, often irrepressibly so. 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. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 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. First published on September 23, 2015 / 11:02 PM. Her greatest asset was her ability to feel what others were feeling. In 2000, Harold Henthorn married eye doctor Toni Bertolet after they met on a Christian dating website. 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. All Rights reserved. The Bertolets had accepted those quirks early on because thats what a good family does they worked hard at liking the person that made their daughter happy. For most of their lives, Toni and her mother Yvonne had been best friends. After all, Harold was a respected member of the community. Police investigators, however, believe that Harold murdered them. The Defendant even proclaimed to a group of school mothers that Tonis daughter would be fine, because the real relationship was actually between Haley and him. His attorney, Craig Truman, said prosecutors failed to prove he killed her. 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. Yvonne wanted Toni to say something, anything. Hey Mrs. B! Harold would say, using the pet name hed given Yvonne. Douglas County had changed tremendously in the intervening years. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. First he convinced her to move to Colorado. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. He insisted to anyone who would listen that he was an in-demand fundraiser who had a large staff and made millions a year. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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 had seen a lot. But at the time of Lynns death, there were only five detectives covering an area half the size of Rhode Island. To one cop, Harold said he and Lynn ate dinner at a nearby restaurant just prior to the accident. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". A year after he was sentenced to life in prison, it doesnt look like Harolds appeal has yet been carried out. Special administrators representing Toni Henthorn's estate are trying to recover the money so it eventually benefits Haley Henthorn, Toni Henthorn's daughter, not Harold Henthorn or his brother. How does she know that a trusted person is not lying to her? And he maintains his innocence. ", After the jury was dismissed, applause erupted in the courtroom. If you would like to donate, you can visit www.umc.edu/tonibertoletendowment. On Thursday, prosecutors released photos and audio used in the murder trial of Harold Henthorn, 59 Henthorn was convicted last month of first-degree murder in the 2012 death of his wife Toni,. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The Sheriffs Office grew with it, from a few dozen to some 500 employees. IE 11 is not supported. "We don't have to worry anymore.". 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. Video marketing. The spring night was cold and Lynn was only wearing a t-shirt. how to ask someone if you offended them,