This Thursday, April 21, 2022, Carl Wayne Buntion, 78, was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville prison, Texas (United States). The prisoner was the oldest sentenced to death. He had been incarcerated in 1990 for the murder of James Irby, a 37-year-old Houston police officer. At the time of the incident, the law enforcement officer was carrying out a traffic check. He had parked his police cruiser alongside the car when Buntion, sitting in the passenger seat, pulled out a gun to shoot him in the head as he spoke to the driver.
At the time, Carl Wayne Buntion already had a long criminal record. He had notably tried to leave the vehicle before being forced by James Irby to come back inside. After shooting, he would have fled before surrendering. Subsequently, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death the following year. In 2009, the Texas Court of Appeals overturned his conviction before a jury returned him to death row following a retrial in 2012.
Carl Wayne Buntion regrets his gesture
Interviewed by Khou11 before his death, Carl Wayne Buntion said he regretted the murder ” every day for 32 years “. ” If Mrs. Irby was sitting right there, I would say the same to her. I’m sorry this happened. My heart aches every day for her and her children. Maybe by having me executed, they can finally put this story behind them. »
For her part, the widow of James Irby did not hide her astonishment. ” It’s amazing because he never showed remorse for any of us. He never wrote a card. This is the first time I’ve heard him apologize. The whole family was present on the day of the execution.
VB
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