Peter Anthony Cantu was born on June 7, 1975, in Texas. He grew up in Houston, where he became involved in gang activity at an early age. By his teenage years, he had become the leader of a local street gang called the "Black and White." The gang was known for criminal activities, including robberies and violence.

On the night of June 24, 1993, Peter Cantu and several members of the "Black and White" gang gathered at T.C. Jester Park in Houston, Texas, for a gang initiation. Among them were Derrick O'Brien, José Medellín, Efrain Pérez, and two other members. During the initiation, the group consumed alcohol and engaged in violent behavior. 

As the night progressed, Cantu and his gang encountered 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Peña. The two girls were walking home along a shortcut near the railroad tracks after visiting a friend. Seeing them as easy targets, Cantu and his gang abducted them, taking them into the woods near the park. 

The gang members brutally raped both girls for over an hour before strangling them to death. One of the murderers used a shoelace, while another used a belt to asphyxiate the victims. After the killings, the gang members laughed about the crime and even bragged about it to others, including Cantu’s own brother, who later reported them to the police. 

Four days after the murders, the decomposing bodies of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña were discovered. The brutality of the crime shocked the community and led to swift arrests. Cantu, along with his accomplices, was charged with capital murder. 

In February 1994, Cantu was convicted and sentenced to death. Over the years, he filed multiple appeals, but all were denied. Several of his accomplices also received death sentences, with Derrick O'Brien being executed in 2006 and José Medellín in 2008. 

On August 17, 2010, after spending 17 years on death row, Peter Cantu was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. He declined to make a final statement, and no witnesses were present on his behalf. The families of the victims attended the execution, with Elizabeth Peña’s father stating, “He did a horrendous crime to these two girls. He deserved to die, and 17 years later, he died. Not soon enough.”