A Scottish woman who moved to Los Angeles to follow her dream of becoming a defense attorney was killed and dismembered, allegedly by her American husband, who told prosecutors they argued about her “failure to lose weight following her pregnancy,” according to disturbing new details.
June Bunyan, 37, had recently moved from Scotland’s Isle of Arran to the US to continue her legal career and to be with her husband, Jonathan Renteria, 25, with whom she shared a 1-month-old daughter.
But earlier this month, Los Angeles police discovered her dismembered remains inside the couple’s Los Feliz apartment after Renteria confessed to the killing in a suicide note, court filings show.
He allegedly admitted strangling Bunyan after their fight and “admits to putting the victim in a rear naked chokehold” and killing her, prosecutors said.
On September 11, deputies in Ventura County were called to a Newbury Park motel where Renteria was found in a bathtub with self-inflicted wrist injuries and a note, authorities said.
That same day, Los Angeles police were alerted and forced their way into the couple’s apartment, where they were “immediately met with the smell of decomposing flesh,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Bunyan’s body was found in the kitchen. A trash bag containing her arms and legs was found in the bathroom. It’s believed that Bunyan, who was last seen alive on September 4, had been dead in the house for more than a week, authorities said.
Renteria was booked on suspicion of murder and later charged with mutilation, disinterment, and sexual contact with human remains. He is in custody at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on $4 million bail. His next court date is scheduled for November 18.
Court records obtained by ABC7 revealed the couple had been married for about a year and recently welcomed their baby girl. Details of the child’s whereabouts are unclear, but neighbors have since told KTLA that detectives notified them that she is safe.
A troubled relationship
Before being brutally murdered earlier this month, Bunyan had confided in one of her neighbors that she was deeply unhappy in her marriage and was preparing to leave Renteria.
“She was trying to leave, and that’s when he killed her,” Arielle Miller said.
Miller described watching investigators remove Bunyan’s remains: “I saw her being carried out in multiple body bags. The first body bag that came down … I said that’s not all of her. And then came another bag and that’s when I knew that she was not in one piece.”
Miller explained that Bunyan had met Renteria on Twitter and moved to Los Angeles soon after.
During Bunyan’s pregnancy, Renteria had allegedly made a comment implying she would no longer be his “muscle mama” because of the weight she would possibly gain, the neighbor said, recalling a previous conversation with Bunyan.
This was not the first time signs of trouble in the marriage had emerged.
NBC4 obtained court filings showing that in December 2023, Bunyan sought a restraining order against Renteria, accusing him of verbal abuse, threats regarding her immigration status, and comments wishing her dead. She wrote that he had made “derogatory comments about my appearance” and threatened to ruin her life.
But weeks later, Bunyan failed to appear at a scheduled hearing, and the restraining order request was dismissed.
In his own filing, Renteria said Bunyan no longer wished to pursue the order and included screenshots of affectionate messages she had sent him.
A life cut short
Family and friends said Bunyan had worked tirelessly to achieve her dream.
She held multiple degrees, including a law degree from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, before moving to the United States.
A website believed to be Bunyan’s paralegal business, according to ABC7, states that she was a foreign-educated attorney who aimed to help lawyers protect non-citizen clients in cases at the intersection of criminal and immigration law.
“June was known for her vibrant personality, infectious laugh, and deeply compassionate heart,” her loved ones wrote on a GoFundMe page.
The campaign was created to help return her remains to Scotland.
“She worked tirelessly to build herself a better life. June’s life was cut short so far from home, and we are now faced with the heartbreaking task of bringing her back to the UK.”
Her neighbors echoed the loss.
“She didn’t deserve the way that she was disrespected,” Miller said. “She deserves dignity in death.”
