Jerry T. Bunyard Dies at 76 After 45 Years on California Death Row

Q: While a mastermind dies on death row, what became of the friend he paid $1,000 to commit murder?

The available reporting identifies Erwin Popham as the childhood friend Bunyard paid $1,000 to carry out the killing, but it does not say what ultimately happened to him. What is clear from the case record is that investigators concluded Popham carried out the attack on Elaine Bunyard after Bunyard recruited him in a murder-for-hire plot tied to jealousy, divorce, a new relationship and expected life-insurance money. Court summaries describe Popham beating Elaine Bunyard with frying pans, dragging her to the garage and killing her with Bunyard’s shotgun before trying to disguise the scene. But in the material provided about Jerry Bunyard’s death on July 10, 2026, and the background of the 1979 murders, there is no verified information on Popham’s later prosecution, sentence, release or death. The coverage is centered on Bunyard’s conviction, decades on California’s death row and his death during the state’s execution moratorium. So the direct answer is that, based on the reporting and supplemental material provided here, Popham’s fate is not stated.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 14

July 10 marked the death of Jerry T. Bunyard, 76, at California State Prison, Sacramento, more than 45 years after he was condemned for the 1979 murder of his pregnant wife.
CDCR said Bunyard was pronounced dead at 4:44 p.m. at an outside medical facility, with the Sacramento County Coroner still determining the official cause of death.
Court records said Bunyard hired childhood friend Erwin Popham to kill Elaine Bunyard for $1,000 and later insurance proceeds after she refused a $50,000 divorce settlement.
Elaine Bunyard, days from giving birth, was beaten, dragged to the garage and shot with Bunyard's shotgun; prosecutors said their unborn child died from oxygen deprivation moments later.
California still has 567 death-row inmates, but Governor Gavin Newsom's 2019 moratorium has paused executions statewide, leaving Bunyard to die before any sentence was carried out.