A California inmate convicted of a gruesome crime in 1979 has died after over 45 years on death row. Jerry T. Bunyard was sentenced to death for murdering his pregnant wife. She was killed just days before her expected delivery. Bunyard passed away on July 10 at the age of 76 at California State Prison, Sacramento.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) issued a statement confirming his death. “At 4:44 p.m., Bunyard was pronounced deceased at an outside medical facility by medical staff,” the CDCR noted. The Sacramento County Coroner will determine the official cause of death.

Bunyard’s conviction stemmed from the murder of Elaine Bunyard and her unborn child. The crime occurred on November 1, 1979, at their San Joaquin County home, where they lived with their 7-year-old daughter. Elaine Bunyard died from a shotgun blast to the head, and the unborn child suffocated shortly after, according to court records.

Investigations revealed that Bunyard had hired Erwin Popham, a childhood friend and drifter, to commit the murder. Popham, who had lived intermittently with the family, was initially hesitant. However, they agreed on a payment of $1,000 shortly after the murder, with more money promised from a life insurance payout.

The plan was to stage the crime as a suicide. Popham attacked Elaine while she was washing dishes. He struck her multiple times with frying pans and then dragged her to the garage. There, he seated her in a chair, placed Bunyard’s shotgun under her chin, and pulled the trigger. Her injuries were gruesome. Due to the blood at the scene, Popham abandoned the suicide plan and staged it as a robbery instead.

Popham informed Bunyard at work by saying “it was done,” as detailed in the California Supreme Court’s review of the case. The current situation in California has changed since the crime. Governor Gavin Newsom imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2019, affecting the 567 death row inmates in the state, offering them temporary reprieve.