Death Knocks Twice: What happened to Richard and Mildred Hodges' killers Bert Hunter and Tomas Ervin?

The upcoming episode of Death Knocks Twice will feature the brutal murder case of Richard and Mildred Hodges. The mother-son duo lived together and ran a thriving real estate business in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Everything seemed to go well for them until a robbery attempt by Tomas Ervin and Bert Hunter disrupted their lives and sent shockwaves through the quaint town of Jefferson City.

Tomas Ervin and Bert Hunter allegedly planned many ways to make quick money, including robbing a bank and kidnapping someone. However, the two impulsively settled on robbing the Hodges' house after seeing their expensive car parked outside and assuming they were very rich.

Tomas and Bert entered their house on the pretext of delivering mail and suffocated Richard and Mildred Hodges to death. They even disposed off Richard's body in a separate location.

They were eventually caught and charged with murder, with Bert confessing almost immediately. Bert was the first inmate in the history of Missouri to be sent to death row without a jury trial. Tomas was also handed the same fate a year later.

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Why did Tomas Ervin and Bert Hunter kill Richard and Mildred Hodges?

Tomas Ervin and Bert Hunter were friends who were looking to make easy money. Bert was from Largo, Florida, while Tomas was a Jefferson City native. Bert traveled from Largo to visit Tomas and the two hatched a plan to make some money.

Initially, the two planned on robbing a bank but Tomas suggested that they abduct someone and force them to withdraw money. All of this was happening in November 1998. However, they didn't carry out the plan and Bert returned to Largo.

Just one month later, Bert returned to Jefferson City and the two decided to rob a house. They chose Richard and Mildred Hodges' home after seeing their Lincoln Continental parked outside. The duo planned to leave no witnesses behind.

Bert allegedly posed as a mailman to enter the Hodges' home and before forcefully breaking in. They forced Richard to tie his mother up.

Richard and Mildred Hodges tried to convince them that they did not have money and that they would not call the police if Bert and Tomas let them go. However, the assailants had planned everything beforehand. They suffocated Richard and Mildred Hodges to death using a plastic bag.

They left the house after that and later returned to ransack the house. They wrapped the bodies with duct tape and took Richard's body with them, leaving Mildred in the house. They dumped Richard in Marion, Missouri, where he was found by some rail workers a few days later.

They also took the family car, which they planned to use in a robbery later. They set it on fire in Paducah, Kentucky, to get rid of any lingering evidence.

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What happened to Tomas Erving and Bert Hunter?

The police eventually located both of them and charged them with first-degree felonies.

Bert was already in prison for a parole violation when the police reached him. He confessed to the crime easily, and in his trial, asked the judge to give him a death sentence. He was diagnosed as clinically depressed. He was executed on June 28, 2000. Erving was also sentenced to death and executed about a year later.

The upcoming episode of Death Knocks Twice based on the Hodges' death will be aired on ID on Saturday, October 15, 2022.