A California prison inmate condemned to death for the 1979 slaying of his pregnant wife, who was killed days before she was expected to give birth, has died after spending more than 45 years on death row.Jerry T.Bunyard died on July 10 at the California State Prison, Sacramento, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said.
He was 76."At 4:44 p.m., Bunyard was pronounced deceased at an outside medical facility by medical staff," the CDCR said in a news release."The Sacramento County Coroner will determine his official cause of death."ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO KILLED AMERICAN WOMAN OUTSIDE HER HOME WALKS FREE DECADES LATER – THEN INTO ICE CUSTODYJerry T.
Bunyard died while awaiting execution in California for the 1979 killing of his pregnant wife.(Getty Images; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)Bunyard was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of his wife, Elaine Bunyard, and her unborn child.
She was found dead on Nov.1, 1979, in the garage of the San Joaquin County home she shared with her husband and their 7-year-old daughter.Elaine Bunyard died from a massive shotgun blast to the head, and the fetus died from a lack of oxygen moments later, according to court records.
Investigators said Bunyard had hired a childhood friend, Erwin Popham, to commit the murders.Popham, a drifter, small-time criminal, and frequent drug user, lived with the Bunyard family intermittently.Eventually, Bunyard asked Popham to kill his wife, believing she had gotten pregnant by another man.INFLUENCER MOM, LAWYER DAD ACCUSED OF DARK-WEB MURDER PLOT AGAINST BOY-BAND BABY DADDYBunyard had offered his wife a $50,000 settlement for a divorce, but she refused, court records state.
He also wanted to clear the way to be with his new girlfriend.Popham initially declined to commit the murder, but the pair eventually settled on a $1,000 fee to be paid within a week of the slaying, followed by additional money once Bunyard received the pr...