Jerry T. Bunyard, a California inmate who spent over 45 years on death row for the 1979 murder of his pregnant wife, died on July 10. He was 76.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced Bunyard's death, stating he passed away at an outside medical facility. The Sacramento County Coroner will determine the official cause of death.
Bunyard was convicted of first-degree murder for killing his wife, Elaine Bunyard, and their unborn child. Elaine Bunyard was found dead in the garage of her San Joaquin County home on Nov. 1, 1979. Investigators determined she died from a shotgun blast to the head, with the fetus succumbing to a lack of oxygen shortly after. Evidence presented in court indicated Bunyard had hired a childhood acquaintance, Erwin Popham, to commit the murders.
Court records show Bunyard offered his wife a $50,000 divorce settlement, which she refused. He also sought to end the marriage to be with a new girlfriend. Bunyard and Popham agreed on a $1,000 payment for the killing, with additional funds to follow after Bunyard received his wife's life insurance policy. The plan was initially to stage the murder as a suicide.
Popham attacked Elaine Bunyard in her kitchen, striking her with frying pans before moving her unconscious body to the garage. He then placed a shotgun under her chin and pulled the trigger. Following the attack, Popham altered the plan to stage the killing as a robbery before informing Bunyard that the deed was done.
As of the time of Bunyard's death, California housed 567 inmates on death row. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order placing a moratorium on the death penalty in California, halting all executions.