A Scottish woman who had moved to California to pursue a legal career was found brutally murdered and dismembered in her Los Angeles apartment, allegedly at the hands of her husband.
The remains of 37-year-old June Bunyan, originally from the Isle of Arran, were discovered on September 11 in her residence in the Los Feliz neighborhood. Authorities said her body had already begun decomposing when officers arrived. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled her death a result of traumatic injuries.
Her husband, 25-year-old Jonathan Renteria, was arrested and charged with murder, mutilation, and sexual contact with human remains, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. On the same day, Renteria attempted suicide in a Ventura County hotel, reportedly leaving behind a note confessing to the killing.
Deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office recovered the note and alerted LAPD, which then conducted a welfare check at the couple’s apartment. Officers discovered Bunyan’s remains inside. Renteria was taken to a hospital for treatment after his suicide attempt and later transferred into custody.
“I didn’t do enough,” neighbor and friend Arielle Miller told KCAL. “I didn’t fight hard enough for her to get the help that she needed,” Miller said. Bunyan had lived in the Los Feliz apartment for about a year and a half. After immigrating from Scotland, Bunyan sought to build her career in law, with aspirations of defending vulnerable people.
She met Renteria through social media, and the couple had recently welcomed a baby girl. But Miller recalled troubling dynamics. She described Bunyan as “really friendly and really outgoing,” while alleging that Renteria was abusive and often criticized Bunyan about her weight.
“She was trying to leave, and that’s when he killed her,” Miller claimed. “June was loved by so many people, and she didn’t deserve the way that she was disrespected, and she deserves dignity in death,” Miller added.
Authorities said Bunyan’s body may have gone undiscovered for nearly a week before being found. Miller recalled the horrific scene as investigators removed multiple bags from the apartment. “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,” she told KTLA.
Renteria is currently being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles with bail set at $4 million. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741. These services are free and confidential.
The victim’s family described the 37-year-old as someone with a “vibrant personality” and “deeply compassionate heart,” according to the family’s GoFundMe. June Renteria had earned her law degree and moved to the United States to “pursue her dream of becoming a defense attorney,” her family said.