Man Pushes Wife Off Cliff: Harold Henthorn Convicted Of First-Degree Murder

A man accused of pushing his wife off a cliff was convicted of first-degree murder on Monday. According to reports, Harold Henthorn intentionally pushed Toni Henthorn off a 140-foot cliff in an attempt to collect $4.7 million in life insurance. Although the defendant vehemently denies the charges, authorities presented enough evidence to secure a conviction.

In September, 2012, Harold and Toni Henthorn celebrated their twelfth anniversary with a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. While hiking the Deer Mountain Trail, Toni fell to her death off a steep cliff.

As stated in a police affidavit, signed by National Park Service Special Agent Elizabeth Shott, Harold Hanthorn was the only witness to his wife’s devastating fall.

The man accused of pushing his wife off a cliff on their anniversary has been found guilty: http://t.co/Ar7JnFgpPW pic.twitter.com/3gRMcvhl8b

— CNN International (@cnni) September 22, 2015

According to Harold, he and his wife were standing on a cliff when he received a text message from their daughter’s babysitter. While looking down at his phone, he reportedly “saw a blur and realized Toni was gone.”

Harold said he immediately climbed down to his wife’s location. Although she was unconscious, he insists she survived the initial fall. When rescue workers arrived on scene, the 50-year-old woman was declared dead.

The fall was initially believed to be accidental. However, authorities later determined the man pushed his wife off the cliff. As reported by KDVR, inconsistencies in Harold’s story prompted a more thorough investigation.

“He told law enforcement and family members that he did not see her fall, but rather witnessed a blur while he was reading text messages… He told another witness that both he and Toni were checking text messages and Toni had wandered too close to the edge. He told other witnesses that Toni was trying to take pictures and slipped.”

Authorities were also suspicious as Harold “marked the spot near where Teri fell” on a map — which was found inside his car.

Harold Henthorn was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Although he pleaded not guilty, the defendant was convicted by a Colorado jury on September 21.

When authorities realized the man pushed his second wife off a cliff, they reopened the investigation into death of his first wife — which was also unusual.

In 1995, Sandra Lynn Henthorn was crushed underneath her vehicle — which was broken down on the side of the road.

As reported by CNN, a medical examiner determined she “may have been looking under the car for a lug nut when the jack slipped and the car crashed down.” Although the death was ruled accidental, authorities are now questioning Harold’s possible involvement.

According to reports, Harold Henthorn was the only witness to the deaths of his first and second wife. He was also named as beneficiary on both women’s life insurance policies.

The investigation into Sandra Henthorn’s death is ongoing. However, Harold was convicted of pushing his second wife off a cliff. He is now facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison — without the possibility of parole.

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