HOUSTON (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Texas executed its oldest death row inmate in Huntsville Thursday night.
78-year-old Carl Wayne Buntion was sentenced to death for the June 1990 shooting of Houston Police Officer James Irby during a minor traffic stop.
Buntion, who had an extensive criminal record at the time, was a passenger in the car and a man named John Killingsworth was behind the wheel.
The 37-year-old was an almost 20 year veteran of the force. Buntion had been on parole for just six weeks when he fired the fatal shot.
In 1971, Buntion’s twin brother was killed by two police officers during a shootout. He allegedly had vowed to avenge his bother’s death.
Buntion’s attorneys argued that his execution is unconstitutional, in part because of the length of time that has passed since his conviction.
In 2009, an appeals court vacated the ruling but another jury sentenced him to death again three years later.
This week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected his request for clemency.
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