Carl Wayne Buntion execution – Texas death row inmate dies by lethal injection as heartbreaking final letter revealed

Petition to end execution, conclusion

The petition urged supporters to “sign the petition asking Governor Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.”

It also suggested that advocates could contact the Board themselves at [email protected] and the Governor at https://gov.texas.gov/contact/ and (512) 463-1782 to seek a stop or stay to the execution.

Despite the effort, Carl Buntion was executed Thursday evening.

Petition to end execution, part three

“In his clemency petition, he asks the Gov for a commutation to a lesser penalty or a 90-day reprieve so that his attys can pursue further litigation about his religious freedom request,” the petition went on to say.

“Contrary to jurors’ finding of ‘future dangerousness,’ Buntion has never been dangerous in prison and is now physically incapable of being dangerous.”

The petition noted “it would be a miscarriage of justice for him to be executed. He should be allowed to live the rest of his days in prison.”

Petition to end execution, continued

“There is no question about Carl’s guilt, but ‘there should be significant apprehension about the spectacle of executing a frail, elderly man, who requires specialized care’ to perform basic functions(embodies the 8th amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment),” the petition continues.

“He requested a spiritual advisor in the chamber with him, but TDCJ denied that request and has not yet determined how they will accommodate Carl’s request since the Ramirez ruling.”

Petition to end execution

Death Penalty Action started a petition to try to stop the execution of Carl Wayne Buntion.

“Carl Buntion has served 30 years in the harsh conditions of Texas’ death row,” the petition notes.

“At age 78 he is too old and sick to pose any future danger: Buntion has hepatitis, arthritis, can barely walk and uses a wheelchair to get around.”

‘I could see the hole in his forehead’

Maura Irby recalled when her husband, James Irby, was shot BY Buntion, and told KHOU, “Nobody wanted me to see him (in the hospital) but it wasn’t really going to be real until I did.”

“They had him in a room, his head was wrapped and his chest was all wrapped in bandages, and I pulled it aside and I could see the hole in his forehead,” she added.

How did James Irby die?

James Irby pulled over a car for a traffic violation at Airline Drive and Lyerly Street, near I-45 on the north side of Houston, Texas, one day in June 1990.

Carl Wayne Buntion was the passenger in the car, according to KHOU, and he shot Irby in the head and several more times as he lay on the ground.

Who did Buntion kill?

Buntion killed a police officer in Texas.

James Irby spent 17 years with the Houston Police Department, according to KHOU, and was 37 with plans to retire when he was shot and killed during a traffic stop in north Houston.

First Texas inmate executed in 2022

Carl Wayne Buntion was not only the oldest inmate on death row in Texas, but he is the first to be executed in the state this year.

Carl Wayne Buntion’s last statement, part four

“I pray to God that they get the closure for me killing their father and Ms. Irby’s husband.”

“I hope to see you in heaven someday and when you show up I will give you a big hug.”

“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,” he concluded.

Carl Wayne Buntion’s last statement, part three

“The deputy’s buddies, five or six guys standing in the hallway where making fun of him and the deputy said don’t listen to them, listen to my voice. That was July 4, 1990,” he continued.

“I wanted the Irby family to know one thing. I do have remorse for what I did.”

“Ms. Irby, the little one-year-old girl, I can’t remember her name, Cody was three and she was one when I took their father’s life away.”

Carl Wayne Buntion’s last statement, part two

“He was wearing civilian clothes. I thought he was a chaplain. He came to the back where it is a super seg. The guys there began to ridicule him because the officer brought me a small Bible,” said Buntion.

“He said boy, do you know that you just hit a brick wall? I am a deputy Sheriff. He asked me have you ever been to church. Have you heard of Jesus Christ? “

“I said yes, he then gave me a small Bible which I call a Gideon Bible and read from Romans. The deputy said get right with God.”

Carl Wayne Buntion’s last statement

Carl Wayne Buntion’s last statement reads below:

“Okay to start with I would like to thank everyone that has stayed; Karen, Linda, Barry, Danny, Barbra, God bless each and every one of you,” Buntion began.

“I have a message to the Irby family. The shootout occurred on June 27, 1990. One week later a police officer on his day off named Michael Garrett showed up to my cell.”

Timeline of execution released

Carl Wayne Buntion confirmed dead

The death row inmate was reportedly pronounced dead at 7.39pm ET.

No official report yet

Oscar Smith’s execution halted

As the status of Carl Wayne Buntion’s execution is still not confirmed, another death row inmate’s execution scheduled for today was put on hold last minute.

Oscar Smith was scheduled to be executed today in Tennessee, but it was halted “due to an oversight in preparation for lethal injection,” according to Gov Bill Lee.

No updates

There is no update yet on the status of Carl Wayne Buntion’s execution.

HPD Bikers support Irby’s family

Houston PD bikers have shown up to support the family of the victim who was murdered by Carl Wanye Buntion.

Execution underway

Carl Wayne Buntion’s execution is now underway.

Execution to begin soon

Carl Wayne Buntion’s execution is set to happen in just 15 minutes.

He is being executed by lethal injection.

Officer James Irby’s widow to witness execution

Officer Irby’s widow, son, and daughter arrived at the prison, and his widow had made the decision to witness her husband’s killer be executed.

Supreme Court gives green light

The Supreme Court is allowing Carl Wayne to be executed tonight in Texas.

However, Justice Breyer did issue a statement criticizing capital punishment.

Total executions in the US

There have been 1,543 executions in the United States since 1976, according to a tally by the Death Penalty Information Center.

The US government and military have yet to abolish executions.

‘Never shown any kind of remorse’

In the same KHOU interview, Buntion added, “Maybe by me being executed, maybe they can finally put this thing behind them.”

The outlet also interviewed Irby’s wife and family, who said that Buntion’s interview was the first time they had heard him show remorse.

“That’s amazing because he’s never shown any kind of remorse for any of us. He’s never written a card,” Maura Irby said.

“That’s the first of any kind of informed apology that I’ve heard that he’s made.”

Buntion claims to ‘regret what happened’

In the days before his scheduled execution, Carl Wayne Buntion sat down with KHOU11 for an interview in which he expressed remorse and revealed that he would be spending his last days reading the Bible.

“Every day for the last 32 years I have regretted what happened,” he told KHOU11 News Reporter Grace White.

“…If that was Mrs. Irby sitting right there, I’d tell her the same thing: ‘I’m sorry it happened.’ My heart aches every day for her and her and her kids.”