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== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Buntion was born on March 30, 1944.<ref>[https://dig.abclocal.go.com/ktrk/PICS/APRIL2022/042022-ktrk-buntion-appeal.pdf dig.abclocal.go.com/ktrk/PICS/APRIL2022/042022-ktrk-buntion-appeal.pdf]</ref> When he was a child, his father murdered a man in front of one of his sons and was violent towards his whole family.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Mayer"/><ref name="McCullough">{{cite news |last1=McCullough |first1=Jolie |title=Texas plans Thursday execution for Carl Buntion, the state's oldest death row prisoner |url=https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/texas-plans-thursday-execution-for-carl-buntion-the-states-oldest-death-row-prisoner-murder-drunk-court-supreme-trial-years-danger-society |access-date=3 May 2022 |publisher=News 4 San Antonio |date=April 21, 2022}}</ref> In one incident, he smashed his wife's teeth.<ref name="Mayer"/> Buntion sustained broken bones from the abuse, and he said he had [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] because of it.<ref name=":0" /> One of his brothers served a twenty-year sentence for an unrelated crime.<ref name="Mayer"/><ref name="Kennedy"/>
Buntion was born in Houston on March 30, 1944, part of a set of identical twins with his brother Kenneth, one of seven children of James Buntion (1922-1984) and Savannah Bedair Buntion (1926-1977). He had another brother named Bobby Joe and a sister named Rita. A third and fourth brother both died in infancy.<ref>[https://dig.abclocal.go.com/ktrk/PICS/APRIL2022/042022-ktrk-buntion-appeal.pdf dig.abclocal.go.com/ktrk/PICS/APRIL2022/042022-ktrk-buntion-appeal.pdf]</ref> When he was a child, his father James murdered a man in front of one of his sons and was violent towards the whole family.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Mayer"/><ref name="McCullough">{{cite news |last1=McCullough |first1=Jolie |title=Texas plans Thursday execution for Carl Buntion, the state's oldest death row prisoner |url=https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/texas-plans-thursday-execution-for-carl-buntion-the-states-oldest-death-row-prisoner-murder-drunk-court-supreme-trial-years-danger-society |access-date=3 May 2022 |publisher=News 4 San Antonio |date=April 21, 2022}}</ref> In one incident, he smashed his wife's teeth.<ref name="Mayer"/> Buntion sustained broken bones from the abuse, and he claimed to have [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] because of it.<ref name=":0" /> His brother Bobby Joe served a 20 sentence for an unrelated crime.<ref name="Mayer"/><ref name="Kennedy"/>


== Criminal activity ==
== Criminal activity ==
⚫
Buntion was convicted of theft when he was 17 years old and served many jail sentences over the next three decades for theft, parole violation, burglary, and drug possession. In 1989, he was convicted of child molestation and served 13 months. Buntion was out on parole for this offense when the murder of James Irby took place.<ref name="TDCJInfo" />On April 10, 1971, his twin brother Ken was killed by two police officers during a shootout when the officers were searching his Houston apartment for counterfeit checks. At the time, Buntion had supposedly vowed to avenge his brother's death. In addition, he had allegedly told a companion that he would rather [[Suicide by cop|shoot it out with police]] than be sent back to prison.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 30, 1990 |title=Vendetta linked to police officer's slaying |page=17 |newspaper=[[El Paso Times]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92058572/vendetta-linked-to-police-officers/ |access-date=January 7, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
Buntion had a lengthy criminal history prior to the murder, starting with a theft conviction in 1961. Over the years, he gathered convictions for burglary, damage to property, and possession of narcotic drugs.<ref name="TDCJInfo" />

⚫
At the time of the shooting, Buntion had been on parole, after serving thirteen months of a fifteen-year sentence for sexually assaulting a child. On April 10, 1971, his twin brother, Kenneth Buntion, was killed by two police officers during a shootout. At the time, Buntion had supposedly vowed to avenge his brother's death. In addition, he had allegedly told a companion that he would rather [[Suicide by cop|shoot it out with police]] than be sent back to prison.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 30, 1990 |title=Vendetta linked to police officer's slaying |page=17 |newspaper=[[El Paso Times]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92058572/vendetta-linked-to-police-officers/ |access-date=January 7, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>


==Murder of James Irby==
==Murder of James Irby==
Line 48: Line 46:


===Legal proceedings===
===Legal proceedings===
In 1991, a jury found Buntion guilty of [[capital murder]] and he was sentenced to death on January 24, 1991.<ref name="Cochran"/><ref name="commute"/> The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals vacated Buntion's death sentence in 2009.<ref name="usnews"/><ref name="Madsen">{{cite news |last1=Madsen |first1=Mathias |title=Nu skal USAs ældste fange på 'dødsgangen' henrettes |url=https://www.dagens.dk/udland/nu-skal-usas-aeldste-fange-paa-doedsgangen-henrettes |access-date=7 January 2022 |publisher=Dagens DK |date=January 7, 2022}}</ref> Buntion went to trial again in 2012. At the trial, his brother testified about their childhood.<ref name="McCullough"/> On March 6, 2012, Buntion was again sentenced to death by a jury.<ref name="usnews"/><ref name="Cochran"/><ref name="abc13">{{cite news |title=Execution date set for man convicted of killing HPD officer in 1990 |url=https://abc13.com/carl-wayne-buntion-execution-date-officer-james-irby-houston-police-killed/11424841/ |access-date=6 January 2022 |publisher=ABC 13 |date=January 5, 2022}}</ref><ref name="commute"/>
A jury found Buntion guilty of [[capital murder]] and he was sentenced to death on January 24, 1991.<ref name="Cochran"/><ref name="commute"/> The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals vacated Buntion's death sentence in 2009.<ref name="usnews"/><ref name="Madsen">{{cite news |last1=Madsen |first1=Mathias |title=Nu skal USAs ældste fange på 'dødsgangen' henrettes |url=https://www.dagens.dk/udland/nu-skal-usas-aeldste-fange-paa-doedsgangen-henrettes |access-date=7 January 2022 |publisher=Dagens DK |date=January 7, 2022}}</ref> Buntion went to trial again in 2012. At the trial, his brother testified about their childhood.<ref name="McCullough"/> On March 6, 2012, Buntion was again sentenced to death by a jury.<ref name="usnews"/><ref name="Cochran"/><ref name="abc13">{{cite news |title=Execution date set for man convicted of killing HPD officer in 1990 |url=https://abc13.com/carl-wayne-buntion-execution-date-officer-james-irby-houston-police-killed/11424841/ |access-date=6 January 2022 |publisher=ABC 13 |date=January 5, 2022}}</ref><ref name="commute"/>


In 2020, a three-judge panel of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit]] ruled that "the fact that Buntion has behaved peacefully while in prison does not disprove the jury's probability calculation."<ref name="McCullough"/> The court stated that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of juries weighing future danger.<ref name="McCullough"/>
In 2020, a three-judge panel of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit]] ruled that "the fact that Buntion has behaved peacefully while in prison does not disprove the jury's probability calculation."<ref name="McCullough"/> The court stated that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of juries weighing future danger.<ref name="McCullough"/>
Line 66: Line 64:


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
At one point, Buntion was a member of the [[Aryan Brotherhood of Texas]].<ref name="Cochran"/> During his time on death row, Buntion found religion and spent time reading his Bible.<ref name="Rahman"/> At the time of his death, Buntion had been diagnosed with vertigo, arthritis, sciatic nerve pain, and other chronic illnesses.<ref name="commute"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Jordan |title=Oldest death row inmates executed – and one of them had a very basic last meal |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/21/death-row-inmate-asks-for-cheeseburger-and-apple-pie-for-last-meal-16509708/ |access-date=3 May 2022 |publisher=Metro |date=April 21, 2022}}</ref>
At one point, Buntion was a member of the [[Aryan Brotherhood of Texas]].<ref name="Cochran"/> During his time on death row, Buntion had a religious conversion and spent time reading his Bible.<ref name="Rahman"/> At the time of his death, Buntion had been diagnosed with vertigo, arthritis, sciatic nerve pain, and other chronic illnesses.<ref name="commute"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Jordan |title=Oldest death row inmates executed – and one of them had a very basic last meal |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/21/death-row-inmate-asks-for-cheeseburger-and-apple-pie-for-last-meal-16509708/ |access-date=3 May 2022 |publisher=Metro |date=April 21, 2022}}</ref>


Buntion is buried at [[Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery]].
Buntion is buried at [[Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery]].

Revision as of 18:32, 28 October 2024

Carl Wayne Buntion
Born(1944-03-30)March 30, 1944
Harris County, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 21, 2022(2022-04-21) (aged 78)
Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Conviction(s)
Criminal penaltyDeath (1991)
Details
DateJune 27, 1990
Killed1
Weapon.357 Magnum revolver[1]

Carl Wayne Buntion (March 30, 1944 – April 21, 2022)[2] was an American man convicted of capital murder in Texas and sentenced to death. On April 21, 2022, at the age of 78, he became the oldest inmate to be executed in Texas and the state's first execution of 2022.[3][4]

Early life

Buntion was born in Houston on March 30, 1944, part of a set of identical twins with his brother Kenneth, one of seven children of James Buntion (1922-1984) and Savannah Bedair Buntion (1926-1977). He had another brother named Bobby Joe and a sister named Rita. A third and fourth brother both died in infancy.[5] When he was a child, his father James murdered a man in front of one of his sons and was violent towards the whole family.[6][7][8] In one incident, he smashed his wife's teeth.[7] Buntion sustained broken bones from the abuse, and he claimed to have post-traumatic stress disorder because of it.[6] His brother Bobby Joe served a 20 sentence for an unrelated crime.[7][9]

Criminal activity

Buntion was convicted of theft when he was 17 years old and served many jail sentences over the next three decades for theft, parole violation, burglary, and drug possession. In 1989, he was convicted of child molestation and served 13 months. Buntion was out on parole for this offense when the murder of James Irby took place.[2]On April 10, 1971, his twin brother Ken was killed by two police officers during a shootout when the officers were searching his Houston apartment for counterfeit checks. At the time, Buntion had supposedly vowed to avenge his brother's death. In addition, he had allegedly told a companion that he would rather shoot it out with police than be sent back to prison.[10]

Murder of James Irby

On June 27, 1990, Buntion was the passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over by 37-year-old Houston Police Department officer James Irby.[11][12] Irby began speaking with the driver, and Buntion exited the vehicle and shot Irby once in the head.[11] Irby fell to the ground, and Buntion shot Irby twice in the back. Buntion fled the scene, shooting at others who were nearby.[11] After killing Irby, Buntion also attempted to shoot at a driver during a carjacking attempt, fired at another officer and held another person at gunpoint before he was arrested.[13] Buntion was apprehended in a nearby building.[14]

A jury found Buntion guilty of capital murder and he was sentenced to death on January 24, 1991.[11][15] The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals vacated Buntion's death sentence in 2009.[3][16] Buntion went to trial again in 2012. At the trial, his brother testified about their childhood.[8] On March 6, 2012, Buntion was again sentenced to death by a jury.[3][11][14][15]

In 2020, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that "the fact that Buntion has behaved peacefully while in prison does not disprove the jury's probability calculation."[8] The court stated that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of juries weighing future danger.[8]

Buntion's lawyers appealed to the United States Supreme Court.[12] In October 2021, the Supreme Court denied Buntion's appeal.[12] In a statement following the denial, Justice Stephen Breyer said that Buntion's "lengthy confinement, and the confinement of others like him, calls into question the constitutionality of the death penalty."[3][12]

On December 8, 2021, Buntion's lawyers filed a state habeas application which claimed that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to execute Buntion given the amount of time he had spent incarcerated and that he did not pose a danger to other prisoners or staff.[15] The application was dismissed.[15]

On March 30, 2022, Buntion's lawyers asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Buntion's death sentence to a lesser sentence or to give him a ninety-day reprieve.[15] They argued that Buntion's sentence should be commuted because it was imposed by a jury that wrongly predicted he would pose a future danger to fellow inmates.[17] They also stated that Buntion's physical impairments, including sciatic nerve pain that sometimes required him to use a wheelchair, would prevent him from harming anyone else should he be released.[15] Additionally, the lawyers asked for a ninety-day reprieve to determine if Buntion would have access to his spiritual adviser during the execution based on the recent Supreme Court decision in Ramirez v. Collier.[15] On April 19, 2022, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected Buntion's request for commutation or clemency, voting unanimously against Buntion.[18][17]

Execution

One week prior to Buntion's scheduled execution, he contracted pneumonia, which makes lethal injection more painful.[9] On his return from the hospital, where he received treatment for pneumonia, Buntion received a head injury when the vehicle he was being transported in came to a sudden stop.[9] In an interview shortly before his execution, Buntion expressed remorse, saying, "Every day for the last 32 years I have regretted what happened."[17]

Buntion was executed by a lethal injection of pentobarbital on April 21, 2022, and was pronounced dead at 6:39 p.m. CDT.[6][7] Prior to his death, Buntion stated "I wanted the Irby family to know one thing: I do have remorse for what I did. I pray to God that they get the closure for me killing their father and Ms. Irby's husband... To all of my friends that stuck with me through all of these years, I am not going to say 'goodbye,' just saying 'so long.' I am ready to go to Heaven, warden."[7] Several dozen motorcyclists, including motorcycle officers from the Houston Police Department and retired officers from motorcycle clubs gathered outside the Huntsville Unit and revved their engines at the time of the execution.[7] Those attending the execution stated they could hear the noise, with some calling it "disrespectful" and "disgusting."[7][18]

In an interview about a week before the execution, Maura Irby, James Irby's widow, stated, "My whole adult life, I've spent saving lives and helping people. So the idea of condoning taking a life has been a challenge. It was from the beginning when we went through the first trial...But it's not about revenge...it's about justice."[7] Following the execution, Maura Irby said "I felt like I took the deepest breath I was able to in the last 32 years. I felt joy."[7] Maura Irby also said that she was sorry someone died, but that she did not think of Buntion as a person but as a thing.[7]

Personal life

At one point, Buntion was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas.[11] During his time on death row, Buntion had a religious conversion and spent time reading his Bible.[17] At the time of his death, Buntion had been diagnosed with vertigo, arthritis, sciatic nerve pain, and other chronic illnesses.[15][19]

Buntion is buried at Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Execution Report: Carl Buntion - Page 1".
  2. ^ a b "Carl Wayne Buntion". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "April Execution Date Set for Oldest Texas Death Row Inmate". U.S. News & World Report. January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  4. ^ AP (April 21, 2022). "Oldest Texas death row inmate executed for officer's death". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  5. ^ dig.abclocal.go.com/ktrk/PICS/APRIL2022/042022-ktrk-buntion-appeal.pdf
  6. ^ a b c Tribune, Texas (April 21, 2022). "Texas executes Carl Buntion, the state's oldest death row prisoner". KVIA. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mayer, Chloe (April 22, 2022). "Carl Wayne Buntion's Last Words as Texas Man Executed by Lethal Injection". Newsweek. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d McCullough, Jolie (April 21, 2022). "Texas plans Thursday execution for Carl Buntion, the state's oldest death row prisoner". News 4 San Antonio. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Kennedy, Kaitlyn (April 22, 2022). "TEXAS EXECUTES CARL WAYNE BUNTION DESPITE PLEAS FOR CLEMENCY". TAG24. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  10. ^ "Vendetta linked to police officer's slaying". El Paso Times. June 30, 1990. p. 17. Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Cochran, Amanda (January 4, 2022). "'We've been waiting for this': Widow of HPD cop killed during traffic stop 30 years ago speaks out after execution date set for husband's killer". Click 2 Houston. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d "Texas' Oldest Death Row Inmate, Cop Killer Carl Wayne Buntion, Set To Die In April". CBS DFW. January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  13. ^ Tribune, Texas (April 21, 2022). "Texas executes Carl Buntion, the state's oldest death row prisoner". KVIA. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Execution date set for man convicted of killing HPD officer in 1990". ABC 13. January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "In re Carl Wayne Buntion Application for Commutation of Death Sentence" (PDF). March 30, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Madsen, Mathias (January 7, 2022). "Nu skal USAs ældste fange på 'dødsgangen' henrettes". Dagens DK. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c d Rahman, Khaleda (April 20, 2022). "Who Is Carl Buntion? Oldest Texas Death Row Inmate Faces Execution". Newsweek. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Texas' oldest death row inmate says he hopes to see victim 'in heaven' as he is executed for 1990 shooting". Yahoo! News. April 22, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  19. ^ King, Jordan (April 21, 2022). "Oldest death row inmates executed – and one of them had a very basic last meal". Metro. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
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