Bert Leroy Hunter was born on March 7, 1947, and grew up in Missouri. He entered the criminal justice system early in life, first arrested in 1963 at just 16 for burglary. He received a lenient sentence due to his juvenile status, but that early arrest marked the beginning of a violent pattern.

By 1968, at age 21, Hunter had escalated. Alongside friend Carl W. Paxton, he robbed a tavern in Amazonia, Missouri. The robbery ended with Hunter shooting the owner, John Montford Lyle, in the head. Both men were convicted. Hunter received a life sentence but later filed appeals, claiming his confession was coerced. Courts rejected his claims.

While serving time at Missouri State Penitentiary, he met Tomas Grant Ervin, another convicted murderer. Both men were later paroled despite their violent records. Hunter moved to Largo, Florida. Ervin remained in Jefferson City.

Bert Leroy Hunter's criminal activities began when he was 16 years old. In 1963, he and 19-year-old Oscar Hoskins were arrested for burglary at a gas station in Winthrop. Hunter was treated as a juvenile and received a light sentence. In 1968, after his release, he and a friend, Carl W. Paxton, tried to rob a tavern in Amazonia, Missouri. During this robbery, they shot the owner, John Montford Lyle, and killed him. Hunter and Paxton hid the stolen money but were later implicated by Hunter's girlfriend and her roommate. They were tried and found guilty. Hunter was sentenced to life imprisonment under Missouri’s second offender law.

While in prison, Hunter met Tomas Grant Ervin, who was serving time for his own murder charge. They became friends and, in November 1988, planned a new crime together. They considered robbing a bank but ultimately decided to kidnap someone to force them to withdraw money. On December 15, 1988, they targeted 75-year-old Mildred Lorene Hodges and her 49-year-old son Richard Earl Hodges while posing as delivery men. They entered the house and then forced Richard to tie up his mother. To prevent them from calling the police, Hunter and Ervin suffocated them with plastic bags.

After the murders, they returned to the Hodges’ home, ransacked it, and then disposed of Richard’s body in a marsh. Mildred’s body was left in the house. They drove away in a stolen car, which they later abandoned and set on fire.

When authorities discovered Mildred’s body, they found a note with part of a license plate number. This led police to Ervin, who tried to create an alibi but linked himself to the crime. They also traced another plate to Hunter, who was in Florida due to a parole violation. Both men were arrested, tried, and convicted for the Hodges’ murders and sentenced to death.

Hunter initially pleaded guilty and requested the death penalty. Later, he tried to withdraw his plea, claiming mental illness. However, he was executed by lethal injection on June 28, 2000. His final words were a complaint about justice and a desire for his suffering to end. Hunter’s lawyer claimed that he reacted violently during the execution, but reporters present did not support this claim.

Ervin was also sentenced to death and maintained his innocence until his execution in 2001. He claimed that Hunter left with an unknown person who was responsible for the murders.