Who is Carl Wayne Buntion? The Oldest Death Row Inmate in the United States of America: 32 years after his crime, he has been finally given an execution date.
Carl Wayne Buntion who is now 77 years old would be executed on April 22, 2022. This is his punishment for the brutal murder he carried out on a police officer way back in 1990.
In 1990, Carl shot and. killed a Texan police officer at a traffic stop. The name of the police officer was James Irby.
Before this atrocious crime, he had a history of 13 previous felony convictions.
Background
The story according to Click2Houston has is that Buntion was traveling as a passenger when they got pulled over by offer James Irby at a traffic stop.
Buntion exited the car and shot the police officer three times.
As if the wasn’t enough, he went on to shoot at the backup before running away. A search was immediately launched for him and he was found in a nearby building.
He was arrested ASAP—and convicted of capital murder which came with a death penalty.
Officer Irby’s left was cut short just like that. He was survived by his wife and two children — aged just three and one when their father was killed.
Carl Wayne Buntion’s death sentence
Now, after 32 years, Buntion’s sentence will finally be carried out, as his death has been ordered by a Houston state judge.
District Attorney, Kim Ogg, said: “He shot a policeman in the head more than 30 years ago, and it is time that he be held accountable for his horrific crime.
“He robbed Officer Irby of his life and deprived the Irby family of a lifetime of memories with him; it is time for them to have justice.”
Capital punishment is still a legal penalty in the State of Texas. Lethal injection is the preferred method for those who are sentenced to death.
In 2009, Buntion’s death sentence was vacation by the Court of Criminal Appeals.
However, this was overturned by a new jury, who returned him to death row in 2012.
Buntion’s lawyers, in October, made a further appeal in October 2021 but this was met by a denial from the US Supreme Court. Hence, marked the end of this incredibly troublesome 32-year ordeal.
Irby’s widow, Maura Irby, shared the following statement after the news of Buntion’s sentence this week: “I just found out this morning that Carl Buntion is being executed.
“It’s been 30 years. We’ve been waiting for this. I wish James was here to see this.
“It is good to close the chapter on my husband’s murder. We can now put this away.”
