Son accused of hiring hit man will get treatment

A plea agreement is reached for man accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill or hurt his family.

By EDIE GROSS

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 24, 2000

The bizarre tale of a Clearwater Beach grandmother who ended up on her son's hit list late last year has ended with a quiet plea agreement in an Iowa courtroom.

Peter Hunter, 50, was charged with 16 felonies in October after police said he hired a hit man to kill or injure his three younger brothers and his mother, Carolyn Hunter, a Clearwater Beach philanthropist.

Last week, Hunter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit attempted murder in connection with attacks planned on two of his brothers, Jeff, a Des Moines hotel owner, and Dan, a humorist, songwriter and playwright who lives in Boston. He also admitted to a felony count of arranging to have the family's accountant beat up.

The plea did not address allegations that Hunter also planned to place acid packs inside brother Ed's car and cut off his mother's finger and steal her diamond ring.

Polk County (Iowa) Judge D.J. Stovall will sentence Hunter Nov. 21. He faces up to 10 years in prison, said Assistant County Attorney Dan Voogt.

Hunter was out on $50,000 bail Wednesday, staying in his Des Moines home. But during the next few weeks, he will report to a mental health facility for treatment of bipolar disorder. Stovall will decide which facility during a hearing Monday morning, Voogt said.

The plea, submitted Thursday, spares Hunter's family from having to testify in his trial, which was scheduled to start this week.

"We spoke with the victims, and we think it's a fair resolution for everyone involved to settle what was a difficult case," Voogt said.

Carolyn Hunter, 73, could not be reached for comment. Jeff Hunter issued a statement for the family:

"We are grateful for the kindness of so many who have wished us well and have supported our family during a tragedy which no family should ever suffer," the statement said. "The public has a right to know the actions of the courts and the individual has the right to privacy. We ask your understanding of our need for privacy as we begin what we hope and pray will be a time of healing for all the members of our family."

Carolyn Hunter and her late husband, Ed Sr., have been lauded for their contributions to the Pinellas community. They hosted benefits for the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens, donated money to Morton Plant Hospital and set aside a bird sanctuary on the north end of Clearwater Beach.

The family also owns the historic Clearwater Beach Hotel.

Peter Hunter, a graduate of Princeton University and the Wharton School of Business, once managed his family's regionally famous potato chip company before it was squeezed out of the market by larger firms. He was managing a Des Moines apartment complex for his mother when police filmed him offering a complex maintenance man $180,000 to kill his family and another $2,000 to beat up Jim Dixon, the Hunter family's longtime accountant.

Court documents indicate that Hunter was frustrated that his family left him out of their extensive real estate dealings.

Dixon said he was pleased Hunter would get mental health counseling and that his family would not have to endure a long trial.

"He's put his family through a lot," Dixon said.

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