Henthorn Evaded Capture For More Than Two Years

When Harold Henthorn married Dr. Toni Jill Bertolet on September 30, 2000, little did she know that several years later, her husband would end up killing her. During the marriage, the couple also parented a daughter named Haley.

From the outside, they seemed to lead a happily married life but the truth about their marriage came out at the expense of Toni. In order to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary, Harold took his 50-year-old wife to the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Just a day before the anniversary, on September 29, 2012, he pushed her over the edge of a remote cliff in the national park.

It took the authorities more than two years to connect Harold to the crime, which was considered an accident at first. During the investigation, they delved deeper into the killer’s life and learned that he had been leading a double life for over two decades.

His claims of being a successful fund raising businessman and entrepreneur turned out to be false, as he reportedly had been unemployed since 1992. His source of income was the insurance money he received after the demise of his first wife, Sandra Lynn Henthorn (née Rishell). Coincidentally, Sandra had also been killed in an accident in May 1995, while changing a tire.

He said that while his wife crawled under the car to retrieve a lug nut, the vehicle fell from the jack’s grip and landed on her, leading to her demise.

Given the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death, the detectives believed that he was also responsible for killing Sandra, with the motive being the life insurance money.

In the murder of his second wife, police also found that he had three different life insurance policies worth over $4.5 million in Toni’s name, and one of them had him as the sole beneficiary.

Henthorn is Behind Bars, Serving His Life Sentence

Although Henthorn claimed Toni accidentally fell as she was taking pictures, investigators searched Henthorn’s Jeep and found a map with a pink “X” marking the spot where Toni went over the edge.

Finally, with enough evidence against him, on November 6, 2014, the police charged him with the first-degree murder of Toni and took him into custody.

In September 2015, Harold Henthorn’s trial for his involvement in the murder of his wife, Toni Henthorn, commenced. During the two weeks of the trial, the prosecutors presented several pieces of evidence against the defendant and emphasized the life insurance policies as the possible motivation for the crime.

A Colorado jury of eight women and four men deliberated for 12 hours over two days before deciding in September 2015 that Harold Henthorn, 59, was guilty of murdering his second wife.

Jurors concluded that Henthorn pushed Toni over a ledge during their anniversary hike. Toni, 50, the successful Denver ophthalmologist died at the scene after tumbling 128-feet down a steep cliff.

They also reportedly brought up the death of his first wife, Sandra, who also died under mysterious circumstances. In his defense, Harold claimed that Toni wanted to capture a photo, and that’s how she fell face-first over the cliff. His defense attorney also argued that the prosecution had not proven that he murdered her.

Before his sentencing, the convict maintained his innocence and claimed that he loved his wife with all his heart. During the sentencing, several members of Toni’s family also took the stand and spoke up. In December 2015, he was finally brought to justice as he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Not long after his conviction, Harold and his defense appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit that the incident involving the death of his first wife should not have been allowed as evidence during the trial. However, the 10th Circuit found the evidence appropriate and denied his appeal for a new murder trial.

In 2019, Harold filed another motion claiming that his lead defense allegedly provided him with ineffective assistance. However, the district court deemed that his allegations were insufficient to prove the defense attorney’s ineffectiveness.

In May 2022, the killer tried to appeal for a new trial again, claiming that he received poor legal representation. About a couple of months later, in July, the judge rejected his claims and refused to overturn his conviction and grant a new trial for the same.

In September 2023, he reportedly raised the same complaint yet again and met with the same result as the court denied his appeals again. As of 2025, Harold Henthorn was imprisoned at USP Terre Haute, a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

To receive free email notification, when we post new articles like this, sign up below. Clever Journeys does & will not sell or share your information with anyone.

☆☆☆☆☆

IN GOD WE TRUST

Thanks for supporting independent true journalism with a small tip. Dodie & Jack

CLICK HERE for GREEN PASTURE BENEFITS

Use Code CLEVER10 for a 10% discount on Green Pasture products today!

CLICK HERE for GOOD HEALTH!

GREENPASTURE.ORG

☆☆☆☆☆

Pre-order Now:

Pre-order Now

Well of Deception

☆☆☆☆☆