DENVER, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A man who allegedly pushed his wife off a cliff in the Colorado Rockies told a friend he had carefully planned their last hike.
Harold Henthorn said he scouted the route because he wanted to find the right hike for the couple's 12th anniversary. But investigators say evidence points to a more sinister motive -- including a map with an X at the place where Toni Henthorn died.
An affidavit said Henthorn could not explain why the X was on the map.
A federal magistrate ruled Wednesday that Henthorn can be held for trial. He faces federal charges because the alleged killing took place in Rocky Mountain National Park.
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Rebecca Roberts, a friend of Toni's, said that after her death Henthorn said he had taken six hikes in the area to find a good one for the anniversary trip.
Court documents also suggested that Toni Henthorn, an ophthalmologist from a family with oil and gas money, supported her husband. Henthorn supposedly ran a business involved in non-profit fundraising, but investigators said his only activity appeared to be handing out business cards. A babysitter said he would disappear on what were supposed to be overnight business trips but did not take any luggage.
Toni Henthorn had life insurance policies totaling $4.5 million.
Less than a year before her death, Toni Henthorn was almost killed when her husband dropped lumber off the deck of their cabin.
"Toni Henthorn told her mother, 'If I hadn't bent down after I walked outside, the beam would have killed me," an affidavit said.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has reopened an investigation into the death of Henthorn's first wife, Sandra, in 1995. Her husband told police at the time that a jack slipped while she was helping him change a tire.
