A 25-year-old California man has been charged with the death of his wife, who was found decomposing in trash bags in their Los Angeles apartment earlier this month.
June Bunyan, a 37-year-old legal worker who had moved to the US from Scotland to pursue a legal career, was found dead on September 11 after Los Angeles police received a tip from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department about an attempted suicide in Newbury Park.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found 25-year-old Jonathan Renteria at a motel with apparently self-inflicted wrist injuries and a note saying he had killed his wife.
Meanwhile, officers responded to reports about a foul smell emanating from an LA apartment and entered the residence to find “limbs in a plastic bag.” The remains were identified as Bunyan, who had a 1-month-old daughter with Renteria. Officials believe she was killed on September 4, a week before her decomposing remains were found.
Prosecutors say that Renteria admitted to arguing with his wife about her “failure to lose weight following her pregnancy.” In the midst of the argument, Bunyan began packing to leave, and Renteria said he put her in a chokehold and killed her.
Renteria was seen leaving the apartment with the baby in the middle of the night on September 5. He reportedly took the child to his parents home and returned to dismember Bunyan’s body. Neighbors told local news outlets that Bunyan had described being in an abusive relationship, saying she feared Renteria would kill her.
“He didn’t want her to talk to certain people. He was verbally abusive,” Arielle Miller said. “Something in particular he would always comment on was her body and her weight.” Renteria is being held on a $4 million bond.
