Jonathan Geddes, Christal Hayes and Regan Morris in Los Angeles
Go Fund MeA Scottish woman murdered in Los Angeles claimed her boyfriend had threatened to “ruin her life” and “wished she was dead”, nearly two years before he was accused of killing her.
June Bunyan, 37, applied for a restraining order against Jonathan Renteria in December 2023, citing domestic violence.
The claim was dropped as she did not appear in court until the following month. The understands the couple reconciled and married later that year.
Ms Bunyan, who was originally from Arran, had moved to America to pursue a legal career. Her body was found on 11 September having suffered traumatic neck injuries.
Mr Renteria, 25, has been charged with two offences – murder and mutilation, disinterment and sexual contact with human remains.
He has pled not guilty to both charges, with bail set at $4m (£2.97m).
The couple are understood to have had a young child together.
In court papers seen by the , Ms Bunyan requested a domestic violence restraining order against Mr Renteria on 29 December 2023 at the Superior Court of California.
She stated he was someone she was dating or had dated.
She said Mr Renteria turned up to collect items from her home on 27 December, but then became aggressive and said he would “ruin her life”.
Ms Bunyan added that Mr Renteria said he “wished she was dead” and that she “deserved to suffer”.
Court papers state Ms Bunyan accused Mr Renteria of also making derogatory comments about her appearance and threatening to affect her immigration status.
Further allegations were that he “threatened to contact personal and professional contacts” of Ms Bunyan.
Case dropped
On 17 January last year, Mr Renteria responded to the restraining order request by saying Ms Bunyan had since spoken to him in person and she no longer wanted to pursue the order.
He said her claims had been made “out of spite” and that she had expressed an interest in having sex after the abuse claims had been made.
He also presented text messages from late December where Ms Bunyan said she was keen to keep seeing him and called him a “blessing in my life.”
A message on 29 December showed Ms Bunyan saying she was not a “threat to Mr Renteria’s family” and that she admitted overstepping boundaries, but felt Mr Renteria had done the same.
In a message sent on 1 January 2024 Ms Bunyan says their relationship had left her drained and affected her mental health.
She then did not appear at the hearing on 22 January and the case was dropped.
Go Fund Me‘A kind and funny person’
Ms Bunyan studied law at Robert Gordon University and is believed to have moved to America in 2023.
The following year she established Renteria Paralegal Services, a business specialising in immigration law.
A friend of Ms Bunyan told the that she loved America and Los Angeles, where she stayed in the city’s hip Los Feliz neighbourhood.
Her flat was decorated with red, white and blue American flags and plastic 4 July Independence Day decorations.
Arielle Miller, who was also a neighbour of Ms Bunyan, said: “She loved America. She said it was a dream of hers to come to this country.”
Ms Miller described her friend as a kind and funny person who was driven to succeed, and hoped to become a US citizen.
She told the that she hoped people could focus on Ms Bunyan as a person, and not just her death.
She added: “She cannot disappear into obscurity – the important thing is she doesn’t get lost in the depravity of the crime.”
Crowdfunder for June Bunyan
Newspaper reports have quoted Mr Renteria’s father Julio as saying the family were unaware he was married to Ms Bunyun.
Ms Miller said that was correct, and the couple did not live together.
She claimed that Mr Renteria would sometimes not be seen for weeks or months at a time, before re-appearing.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office previously said it was supporting Ms Bunyan’s family and that it was in contact with local authorities in America.
A preliminary hearing for Mr Renteria will held on 18 November.
Ms Miller, a keen cyclist and mountain biker, is organizing a group ride to help ensure Ms Bunyan’s remains can be returned to the UK.
A crowd funder organised by a friend of Ms Bunyan’s in the UK has raised almost £17,000 to repatriate her.
