Parole Board denies 14th bid for parole to man who beat his wife to death

California Board of Prison Terms has again denied parole to Larry Richard Bunke, who was convicted of Second Degree Murder in the brutal beating death of his wife, Linda, in 1982. This was his 14^th parole opportunity.

Bunke and his wife lived in Petaluma prior to separating in May of 1982. They had married and divorced once before. Approximately 10 days prior to murdering his wife, the couple separated again, and Bunke moved out. He was staying at his father’s home in Roseville. The night before the murder, Mr. Bunke tried to reach his wife by phone but was unable to. Around midnight, Bunke drove to Petaluma and arrived at the house unannounced. Realizing that the victim was not home, he broke in, hid his car in the garage, and awaited her return. He confronted her when she arrived in the morning. She immediately turned and tried to flee but Bunke pursued. Having been beaten by Bunke in the past, the victim began screaming for help. Bunke, who was a full foot taller than the victim and outweighed her by 80 pounds, caught her and began beating her with his fist to stop her screaming. She stumbled into the driveway where she collapsed. Bunke initially fled the scene, but returned minutes later, after realizing he had beaten her so severely that he had split his own hand open down to the bone. Back at the scene, Bunke carried her back into the house. Once inside, instead of rendering aid to his wife, Bunke became enraged, picked up a belt and continued to beat her with it as she lay unconscious on the floor of the kitchen. Eventually he stopped and called his father for help, saying “I beat her real bad.” Finally 911 was called. Linda Bunke was hospitalized but never regained consciousness. She died 5 days later of multiple traumatic head injuries. Her facial bones had been broken, her lip was split to the bone, her skull had been fractured in numerous places, and she suffered lacerations to multiple internal organs. Belt buckle welts were found all over her back. The couple had two small children, who fortunately weren’t home at the time their father murdered their mother.

A hearing was held on Thursday September 18, 2025 to determine whether Bunke should be released on parole. After taking testimony from Bunke, reviewing his prison files and psychological evaluations, and hearing arguments from both sides, the 2-member panel issued a 5-year parole denial.

Because Bunke is now 76 years old, he is eligible for consideration for early release under California’s “Elder Parole” rule. However, the panel found, despite his age, Bunke continues to pose an unreasonable risk of danger to the community if released. The panel specifically noted that Bunke continues to place blame on his wife and others for the fatal beating, lacks any understanding of domestic violence, and continues to demonstrate anger and hostility despite years of prison-based education and therapy. The panel noted he also demonstrated “horrific” lack of empathy around the impact his violence had on the victim and her surviving family, including his own children. Bunke will not be eligible for parole again until 2029, although he is entitled to petition for an earlier hearing.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Anne Masterson appeared via video at the hearing in opposition to Bunke’s release on behalf of the People, along with more than a half dozen of Linda Bunke’s surviving family members.

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