HBO’s new true-crime documentary series, THE MORTICIAN, brings back the shocking story of David Sconce, a cremation business operator from California who was convicted in the 1980s for mishandling human remains and other serious crimes. But alongside the chilling revelations of what went on behind the doors of Lamb Funeral Home, the show also sheds light on someone who once stood by him — his ex-wife, Barbara Hunt.
Barbara Hunt, who speaks in the series, shares her own experience of being married to the man at the center of the mortuary scandal. In her words, it all started like a fairy tale. She was working in retail at a Los Angeles mall when she first met Sconce. He impressed her with his confidence, good looks, and charm. He even used his black credit card on their first day to win her over. It worked.
Soon, the two were married in an intimate ceremony. But that same day, Barbara was warned by three members of David’s own family — his grandparents and his father, Jerry Sconce — to reconsider marrying him. Even though they were worried, Barbara believed in their love and went ahead with the wedding. She didn’t fully understand what those warnings meant at the time.
Barbara helped David while they were married, but she wasn’t very involved in his family’s funeral business. She rarely visited Lamb Funeral Home and tried to stay removed from the operations. What she did know was that the business brought in enough money for the family to live very comfortably. She and David had two children together and built a seemingly stable life — at least on the surface.
Over time, however, Barbara began to notice strange things. One of the most disturbing moments came when she found David in the garage, cracking teeth out of human skulls with a hammer to collect gold. He placed the gold in a styrofoam cup labeled “Au” — the symbol for gold. Shocked and confused, Barbara didn’t say anything at first, out of fear and loyalty. She later admitted in the HBO documentary that she had no idea the extent of what her husband was doing until she saw the media coverage.
In 1989, David Sconce pleaded guilty to a list of disturbing charges, including conducting mass cremations, mutilating corpses, and even hiring hitmen to target competitors in the funeral business. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Barbara remained with him during that time and even moved with the family to Lake Havasu City, Arizona after his release.
David tried to rebuild his life with a new job in the transportation industry, but his trouble with the law didn’t stop. He was eventually caught in a bus coupon scam, and in 2013, he was sentenced to 25 years to life for gun charges that violated his parole. By that time, Barbara had finally left her husband and asked for a Divorce.
Where Is Barbara Hunt Now?
Barbara Hunt now lives a quiet life in Lake Havasu City, far from the scandal that made the news a few years ago. She hasn’t been seen much lately because she seems to be focused on taking care of her kids and moving on from a hard time in her life.
Her story, which is told in The Mortician, adds a personal and emotional layer to what happened in the Sconce family. When she found out the truth about her husband, she says it was strange and scary. In the film, she says, “I just sat there thinking, what world am I in?”
Barbara Hunt had no idea that the man she married would be at the center of one of the worst funeral home scandals in U.S. history. But she was strong enough to leave and start over, far from the darkness of the past.
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Where Is David Sconce Now? HBO’s The Mortician True Story Explained | TVAcute
