Mildred Lorene Hodges was a respected 75-year-old widow and businesswoman in Jefferson City, Missouri, where she ran a successful real estate business with her son. She and Richard Earl Hodges, 49, were not just mother and son but also close partners who operated their business, primarily dealing in residential real estate, from their home. Their lives, built on professional success and a close family bond, came to a brutal and tragic end on December 15, 1988, during a violent home invasion.
The crime was set in motion by two men, Bert Leroy Hunter and Tomas Grant Ervin, who had met in prison while serving time for previous murders. Recently paroled, the pair were looking for a way to get quick money. Driving through a quiet, affluent neighborhood in Jefferson City, they noticed a luxurious Lincoln Continental parked in the Hodges' driveway and impulsively decided that the owners must be wealthy. Posing as a delivery man, Hunter knocked on the door. When Mildred opened it, he and Ervin forced their way inside at gunpoint. Hearing his mother's screams, Richard rushed from another part of the house to help her.
The intruders quickly overpowered the mother and son. They forced Richard to bind his mother before they bound him as well, using duct tape. The situation escalated tragically when Mildred, in a struggle, pulled off Ervin's mask. Fearing they would be identified, the two assailants made the decision to leave no witnesses. Despite Mildred and Richard’s pleas, Hunter and Ervin suffocated them by placing plastic trash bags over their heads. After the murders, they stole valuables, including Richard's wallet, Mildred's purse, jewelry, and a fur coat.
Hunter and Ervin returned to the home later that evening to dispose of the bodies. They wrapped both Mildred and Richard in trash bags, loaded Richard’s body into the family’s Lincoln, and drove to a marshy area near Marion, Missouri, where they dumped his body by some railroad tracks. They intended to do the same with Mildred’s body but abandoned the plan, leaving her remains in the house. The alarm was raised when Mildred, a woman known for her professional diligence, failed to show up for a business appointment on December 15. On December 19, railroad workers discovered Richard's body, which led police to the Hodges' home. There, they found Mildred’s decomposing body on the living room floor.
The investigation quickly gained momentum. A crucial piece of evidence was a notepad found in the home containing a partial license plate number that Mildred had apparently written down. This clue, along with other evidence, led investigators to Ervin. The Hodges' stolen Lincoln was later found abandoned and burned in the parking lot of an inn in Paducah, Kentucky, further linking the suspects to the crime. Hunter was soon traced and arrested in Florida on a parole violation. In custody, Hunter confessed to his role in the double homicide and agreed to testify against Ervin.
Bert Leroy Hunter was a serial killer with a long and violent criminal history, including a 1968 murder for which he had been sentenced to life before being paroled. In March 1989, a grand jury indicted both Hunter and Ervin on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree robbery. Hunter pleaded guilty to all charges and, stating he was depressed and suicidal, requested the death penalty. Tomas Ervin maintained his innocence throughout his trial, claiming he was elsewhere at the time of the murders, but he was convicted.
Both men were sentenced to death for the murders of Mildred and Richard Hodges. Bert Leroy Hunter was executed by lethal injection on June 28, 2000, at the Potosi Correctional Center. His final words were, "There is no justice. It's time for this nightmare to be over, as far as I'm concerned." Tomas Grant Ervin was executed for his role in the crimes on March 28, 2001.
