Bernard Bolender was born on September 1, 1952, and grew up in West Babylon, New York, where he attended high school. During the 1970s, he built a seemingly successful life as a nightclub and restaurant owner. He was married and had children, but his personal life unraveled when he separated from his family.

Following the collapse of his marriage, Bolender moved to Miami, Florida, where he became heavily involved in the rapidly growing cocaine trade. Miami during this time was infamous for violent drug-related crimes and extravagant lifestyles fueled by narcotics money. Bolender embraced this high-risk world, quickly amassing wealth and gaining notoriety for his eccentric behavior, reportedly going as far as hiring a chauffeured limousine to drive his pet monkey around the city.

Despite his new wealth and flamboyant image, Bolender’s life spiraled deeper into criminal activity. By 1980, his connections within Miami’s cocaine underworld placed him in situations that involved large-scale drug deals and violent confrontations.

On January 8, 1980, Bernard Bolender, along with associates Joseph Macker and Paul Thompson, became involved in a cocaine-related transaction that turned deadly. According to prosecutors, the trio lured four men, John Merino, Scott Bennett, Rudolfo Ayan, and Nicomedes Hernandez, under the pretense of a drug deal. Once the victims were under their control, Bolender and his accomplices kidnapped them.

The victims were reportedly tortured and robbed during the ordeal before ultimately being murdered. Their bodies were placed inside a car, which was then set ablaze and abandoned on Interstate 95 in Miami. The horrific discovery shocked the local community and quickly drew police attention to Bolender, Macker, and Thompson as prime suspects.

Investigators linked Bolender to the crime through fingerprints found on the burnt vehicle. Facing potential capital charges, Joseph Macker cooperated with authorities and testified that Bernard Bolender was the instigator and main actor behind the murders. This testimony became a cornerstone of the prosecution’s case.

Bolender, however, maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and trial, insisting that he had no involvement in the killings and was at home with his girlfriend when the murders occurred. Despite his defense, a jury found him guilty of four counts of murder in April 1980, only three months after the crime. He was sentenced to death.

Bolender’s legal team appealed the conviction, reaching the Florida Supreme Court in 1983, but the court upheld the original verdict and sentence. In a brief turn of events, a lower court later overturned his death sentence, citing ineffective legal counsel during the penalty phase. This ruling was reversed in 1987, reinstating his death penalty. Another appeal in 1990 to the United States District Court also failed.

After 15 years on death row, Bernard Bolender was executed in the electric chair on July 18, 1995, at Florida State Prison in Bradford County. He was pronounced dead at 10:19 a.m., closing one of Florida’s most notorious drug-related multiple murder cases of the 1980s.