Megan Hess and her mother Shirley Koch defrauded over 200 families by handing over random ashes while selling body parts of deceased individuals entrusted to their funeral home.
Prosecutors claim that the scheme hit at least 200 families, who were horrified to learn the truth of what happened to their departed loved ones.
Nine-year-old Lyric Jones and her mother Teran Christian stands outside Wayne Aspinall Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2023 in Grand Junction, Colorado. The two came to the courthouse for the sentencing of Megan Hess and Shirley Koch. Christians grandfather Michael Holland was a victim along with hundreds of other families who used Sunset Mesa Funeral home.
"Our sweet mother, they dismembered her," Erin Smith, a victim, said."We don't even have a name for a crime this heinous."Prosecutors highlighted the"macabre" crime and described it as one of the most significant body parts cases in recent U.S. history. Hess’s lawyer claimed that she had been unfairly vilified as a"witch," a"monster" and a"ghoul." Reuters contributed to this report.
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