California inmate who spent 45 years on death row for murdering pregnant wife dies

A California situation inmate condemned to decease for the 1979 slaying of his large wife, who was killed days earlier she was expected to springiness birth, has died aft spending much than 45 years connected decease row.

Jerry T. Bunyard died connected July 10 astatine 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 astatine an extracurricular aesculapian installation by aesculapian staff," the CDCR said successful a quality release. "The Sacramento County Coroner volition find his authoritative origin of death."

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Jerry T. Bunyard died portion awaiting execution successful California for the 1979 sidesplitting of his large wife. (Getty Images; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

Bunyard was convicted of first-degree execution for the sidesplitting of his wife, Elaine Bunyard, and her unborn child. She was recovered dormant connected Nov. 1, 1979, successful the store of the San Joaquin County location she shared with her hubby and their 7-year-old daughter.

Elaine Bunyard died from a monolithic shotgun blast to the head, and the fetus died from a deficiency of oxygen moments later, according to tribunal records. Investigators said Bunyard had hired a puerility friend, Erwin Popham, to perpetrate the murders.

Popham, a drifter, small-time criminal, and predominant cause user, lived with the Bunyard household intermittently. Eventually, Bunyard asked Popham to termination his wife, believing she had gotten large by different man.

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Bunyard had offered his woman a $50,000 colony for a divorce, but she refused, tribunal records state. He besides wanted to wide the mode to beryllium with his caller girlfriend.

Popham initially declined to perpetrate the murder, but the brace yet settled connected a $1,000 interest to beryllium paid wrong a week of the slaying, followed by further wealth erstwhile Bunyard received the proceeds of his wife's beingness security policy.

The execution was expected to beryllium staged arsenic a suicide.

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Lt. Sam Robinson calls to unfastened a doorway astatine San Quentin State Prison's decease enactment successful San Quentin, Calif., connected Aug. 15, 2016. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Popham attacked Elaine Bunyard arsenic she was washing dishes successful her kitchen, repeatedly striking her connected the caput with frying pans. He past dragged her unconscious assemblage to the store and placed her successful a chair. Once she was seated, Popham propped Bunyard's pump shotgun nether Elaine's chin and pulled the trigger.

Half of her look was blown off, prosecutors said. Given the utmost magnitude of humor astatine the scene, Popham abandoned the termination staging and decided to marque the sidesplitting look similar a robbery instead.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a property league astatine San Lorenzo High School connected March 18, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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He past drove to Bunyard’s operation occupation successful Patterson and told him "it was done," according to the California Supreme Court’s reappraisal of the evidence.

Currently, 567 California situation inmates are connected decease row, according to the CDCR. However, successful 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an enforcement bid instituting a moratorium connected the decease punishment successful California, granting a impermanent reprieve to each individuals sentenced to death.