The Denver man convicted of pushing his wife to her death from a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park has been sentenced to life in prison. Harold Henthorn, 59, faces no chance of parole for the murder of his wife, Toni Henthorn, according to CBS News.
Henthorn took his wife to the national park to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary in 2012 but deliberately pushed her to her death, according to CBS. Prosecutors claim that Henthorn's actions were motivated by $4.7 million in life insurance policies that his wife didn't know about, according to reports by CBS.
Toni Henthorn fell 130 feet in a remote and rock-laden part of the park in an incident that prosecutors argue was staged to look like an accident, according to 9News. After searching Henthorn's car, investigators found a map with the mark that his wife fell marked with an X, according to The Denver Channel.
Evidence was introduced during the trial to suggest that Henthorn was responsible not only for Toni's death, but also the death of his first wife, Lynn Henthorn, according to The Denver Post. Lynn died after being crushed by a Jeep while the two of them were changing a tire.
A spokesperson for the Douglas County Sherriff's Department said that deputies are currently investigating the circumstances of the death of Henthorn's first wife, according to The Denver Post.
Henthorn chose to speak at his sentencing and claimed his innocence throughout proceedings, saying that "I did not kill Toni or anyone else," according to The Denver Post. He also stated his love for his 10-year-old daughter Haley, who has stopped referring to Henthorn as her father, according to 9News.
Hayley's guardian ad Litem, Barbara Cashman, told the courts that Henthorn had manipulated his daughter and "[shrunk] her down to a puppet", according to 9News, adding that she is thriving now that she is living away from her father.
Henthorn's attorney, Craig Truman, has said previously that he will appeal the conviction, according to The Denver Post.
