Peter Anthony Cantu, the former leader of Houston’s Black and White gang, was executed by lethal injection on August 17, 2010, at the Huntsville Unit in Texas for his role in the 1993 murders of Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Peña, 16. The killings occurred at T.C. Jester Park after the teenagers were confronted while walking home from a friend’s gathering. Prosecutors said Cantu orchestrated the attack, instructing gang members to kill the girls when it became clear they could identify the perpetrators. Court records show that both victims were raped, beaten, and ultimately strangled, and investigators stated that Cantu later distributed stolen items from the victims among his gang members, including giving a personal belonging to a younger participant.
Cantu was arrested shortly after the crime and convicted of capital murder. He spent nearly two decades on Texas death row, filing appeals that were ultimately denied. During his execution, Cantu, who was 35 years old, declined to give a final statement and was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. local time. Family members of the victims attended the execution, which concluded a case that had shocked Houston and had a lasting impact on law enforcement, victims’ rights legislation, and the public’s awareness of gang violence in Texas.
The murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña remain one of the most infamous criminal cases in Texas history, cited in ongoing discussions about gang culture, violent crime, and capital punishment, and highlighting the profound, long-term effects such violent acts have on victims’ families and the community.
