John Price Hayter Jr. was born on September 28, 1933, in Waco, Texas. 

On November 29, 1952, John Price Hayter Jr. committed his first murder while serving a two-year sentence for auto theft. While working in the Ramsey Unit prison, he got into an argument with a fellow inmate named Leroy Martin. Hayter ended up stabbing Martin with a pitchfork, killing him immediately. Hayter was convicted of this crime and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

After serving 21 years in prison, Hayter was granted parole and returned to Waco. Shortly after his release, he attempted to rob a store and kidnapped a 17-year-old cashier named Linda Ruth Pibil. He took her to a remote area, where he raped and then shot her. Her body was discovered later by two soldiers near Fort Hood.

A month later, Hayter went to the home of a woman in Lacy Lakeview, posing as an electrician. He threatened her and her baby with a switchblade and forced her to drive around until she managed to escape. During the police chase, his car crashed, and he was arrested. He was charged with the murder of Linda Pibil and the attempted abduction of the woman from Lacy Lakeview, leading to another life sentence.

In June 1986, Hayter was paroled again and began committing crimes across the country. On September 15, he broke into the home of 80-year-old Teena Ambrose in Florida. He tied her up and sexually assaulted her before strangling her with a plastic tie. Afterward, he stole her car and targeted an elderly couple, robbing them before fleeing.

Hayter was arrested in New Mexico for auto theft. During police questioning, he confessed to the murders and was identified by a tattoo on his forearm. His trial for the murder of Teena Ambrose revealed evidence that contradicted his claims of leaving her alive. The forensic examination showed that the ligatures he used were so tight that they broke her larynx. In February 1987, Hayter was found guilty of her murder and received yet another life sentence. He remained in prison until his death on February 21, 1995.