Man Who Dismembered Wife Over Weight Sent Confession Email to Dad, Who Didn't Know He Was Married: Cops

Court records reviewed by ABC 7 revealed that the couple had been married for about a year and had recently welcomed their first child, a daughter. A neighbor told the outlet that before her tragic death earlier this month, June Bunyan, also known as June Renteria, 37, had said she was preparing to leave her 25-year-old husband, Jonathan Renteria.

"She was trying to leave, and that’s when he killed her," the neighbor said. She told the outlet that the couple had first met on Twitter and that Bunyan had moved from Scotland to Los Angeles about 18 months ago, with the dream of becoming a defense attorney.

Before her death, June had started a paralegal service business specializing in immigration law called Renteria Paralegal Services, according to People. She earned a law degree from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and was preparing to take the California bar exam, per KTLA.

Police became involved in the case through Jonathan first, when they responded to an attempted suicide report at a Newbury Park motel on September 11. There, they reported finding him with injuries to his wrist from an apparent failed suicide attempt and a note with a Hollywood address on the back of it.

Newly revealed court documents detail the contents of that note, as reported by ABC News and The U.S. Sun, which read, "My wife, June Renteria is deceased in her apartment. I kill her. I am truly sorry." The outlet further reports that after the baby was born, Jonathan had became violent and claimed the baby wasn't his at the same time he was allegedly blasting his wife for her weight.

Additionally, the investigation uncovered an email from Jonathan to his father Julio, 44, where he reportedly confessed to killing his wife. "The only thing I could do in the moment was choke her. And I did. I held it for as long as I could until my arms gave out," he wrote, per the U.S. Sun. "I was horrified at myself. Right after this I took a lot of drugs to get through it."

Remarkably, when Julio was contacted in regards to the murder of his daughter-in-law, per the news outlet, he told investigators he'd been completely unaware his son was even dating, much less married. He was also unaware he had a granddaughter.

"We don’t know where they met. We don’t know anything. We don’t know anything about her," Julio told The Scottish Sun. "We feel horrible for her family. We didn’t even know he had a girlfriend. It’s been a shock for us. He always kept to himself."

"It’s a difficult time. It’s a difficult time for everyone," he continued. "It’s really bad. We’re scared. We’re devastated. It’s not something I ever imagined would happen."

"We feel horrible," he said, after emphasizing that they can't say much amid the ongoing investigation. "We feel like we lost a son, too. When the cops came they didn’t give us much information."

A welfare check on the couple's apartment, about 40 miles from where Jonathan was holed up led to the discovery of June's remains. She was found decomposed with her dismembered "limbs in a plastic bag." The victim was identified as June, with the medical examiner reportedly listing traumatic neck injuries as her cause of death, ruling it a homicide. Police believe she was killed September 4.

Per prosecutors, Jonathan told authorities in a recorded interview that he and his wife were fighting about her "failure to lose weight following her pregnancy," before she began packing and said she'd never let him see his 1-month-old daughter again. He then allegedly admitted to "putting the victim in a rear-naked chokehold he had learned in Jiu Jitsu," killing her.

Police believe she was killed September 4, days before the grisly discovery and when she was last seen alive. Her husband was allegedly seen leaving the apartment the following day with their child -- who prosecutors say was left at his parents' home -- before he was spotted holding garbage bags.

Additionally, NBC 4 Los Angeles reports that June had filed a request for a restraining order against her husband, then 23, on December 29, 2023. In it, she accused him of becoming "aggressive and verbally abusive. He made derogatory comments about my appearance."

"He made false allegations and said he intended to ruin my life… told me he wished I was dead and that I deserved to suffer," she claimed in the document. June also asserted that Jonathan threatened her immigration status.

Four days before that, per the news outlet, Bunyan reported he made threats to ruin her work and had deleted contacts and messages from her phone. Along with her request, she included a handwritten note for the judge that described him as her ex-partner who had recently displayed erratic behavior.

Renteria filed a response on January 17, 2024, saying that he'd spoken to her in person and she no longer wanted to pursue the restraining order, sharing screenshots of message exchanges corroborating this claim. Bunyan then missed the next hearing date and her request was dismissed on January 22.

In a GoFundMe set up by a friend, they wrote, "With unimaginable heartbreak, we share the devastating news that our beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin and friend, June Bunyan, was tragically taken from us due to a violent crime in the United States. Our lives are forever changed. She was only 37."

"June was known for her vibrant personality, infectious laugh, and deeply compassionate heart," they continued. "Exceptionally accomplished, she held multiple degrees, but her proudest achievement was earning her law degree. Driven by courage and determination, June moved to America to sit the bar exam and pursue her dream of becoming a defense attorney. She worked tirelessly to build herself a better life."

They're now raising money to help repatriate her remains, as well as cover travel, funeral and burial costs.

Jonathan has been charged with the murder of his wife, as well as mutilation and sexual contact with remains, per People, and is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on $4 million bail. His next court date is set for November 18.