Prosecutors: Jurors should hear about death of first wife, too

DENVER - Federal prosecutors in the case of a Colorado man charged with shoving his second wife over a cliff in 2012 want to tell a jury how his first wife died under "bizarre circumstances" when a Jeep fell on her in 1995.

Prosecutors are arguing a jury needs to hear about the death of Harold Henthorn's first wife, too, to show a pattern of behavior, reports CBS Denver.

In a motion filed in federal court on Thursday, prosecutors asked a judge to allow them to tell a jury about the death of Sandra Lynn Henthorn (aka Lynn), who they say "died in unusual circumstances where the only witness was her husband who received nearly $500,000 from her death," reports the station.

Prosecutors say his first wife's death is relevant to the way his second wife, Toni, died when she fell from a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2012 during an anniversary hike with her husband. Harold Henthorn has pleaded not guilty in her death and is scheduled to face trial in May in that case.

Lynn Henthorn, Harold Henthorn's first wife, died in 1995 when the couple stopped to change a low tire on a remote mountain road in Douglas County. Lynn Henthorn somehow ended up under the Jeep and, according to Harold Henthorn, a jack failed and the vehicle fell, crushing her to death. The case was initially ruled an accident, but last month, a coroner changed the manner of her death from accidental to "undetermined." No charges have been filed in the case.

Prosecutors note in their motion that Henthorn told multiple versions of what caused the Jeep to fall on his first wife and told conflicting accounts about the incident, reports CBS Denver.

According to prosecutors, in the years after his first wife's death, Henthorn offered "bizarre stories about Lynn's death," including:

• "She was bending over in the trunk when the hatchback fell on her neck and killed her."
• "A lug nut shot out and pierced her lung."
• "A rod from one of the jacks shot into his wife's chest and killed her."
• "The cabin on the flight-for-life helicopter or plane depressurized and collapsed her lungs."
• "She died in a head-on car collision from which he escaped uninjured."
• "He even told a Sunday School class that she had died from cancer and lost a baby she was carrying to chemotherapy."

The station reports prosecutors also pointed out in their motion numerous similarities in the deaths of Henthorn's two wives:

• Both deaths involved bizarre "accidents"
• Both left Henthorn with significant insurance benefits
• Both times Henthorn was the lone witness
• Both deaths occurred after about 12 years of marriage
• Henthorn told wildly varying stories about both deaths
• In both situations, Harold was eager to have the bodies quickly cremated despite family requests against it
• Harold spread the ashes of both women on the same mountain

Prosecutors write in their motion to have jurors hear about the death of Henthorn's first wife that it is "objectively implausible that both of Henthorn's wives would die in bizarre accidents in remote areas where he was the lone witness and beneficiary of their life insurance."

They plan to argue in favor of their motion during a hearing in March.