Husband charged with murdering wife over her pregnancy weight gain

June Bunyan, 37,  was tragically murdered by her husband just weeks after giving birth to their daughter. Reports state he killed her after becoming upset about her pregnancy weight gain. 

Key Takeaways:

• June Bunyan was choked to death and dismembered by Jonathan Renteria, 25, in their Los Angeles apartment.

• It has been reported that he was upset about the weight she had gained during pregnancy.

• Homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women in the U.S.

The Details: 

June Bunyan, a native of the Isle of Arran in Scotland, where she earned a law degree from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, met Jonathan Renteria online and made the decision to move to the U.S. to be closer to him and to further her legal career. Shortly after the move, the couple was married, and Bunyan founded Renteria Paralegal Services, with a focus on immigration law. In this same timeframe, Bunyan became pregnant. 

According to KTLA 5, neighbors in the apartment complex where the couple lived made it clear that, despite how things may have appeared from the outside, there was trouble within. “He was not good to her, he was not kind to her, and she did everything for him,” Bunyan’s friend and neighbor told KTLA’s Erin Myers. “She is a victim of a horrible cycle of domestic abuse and now the baby will grow up not only without her mother, but also without her father.”

Approximately two weeks before June’s body was found, police responded to a 911 call from a hotel where Renteria had attempted suicide. Sources told KTLA 5 that he left a suicide note in which he confessed to killing his wife. This prompted a wellness check by the Los Angeles Police, who found Bunyan dismembered in the couple's apartment.

Abortion is not the answer to rising numbers of pregnant women dying by homicide 

Arielle Miller, June’s neighbor and friend, told KTLA 5, “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 described Bunyan as a beloved friend who “didn’t deserve the way that she was disrespected” and “deserves dignity in death.” She said Bunyan had confided that she was deeply unhappy in her marriage and was allegedly preparing to leave Renteria. “She was trying to leave, and that’s when he killed her,” Miller said, adding that during Bunyan’s pregnancy, Renteria made a comment implying she would no longer be his “muscle mama” because she would gain weight.

The Economic Times reported that, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, Bunyan’s cause of death was traumatic neck injuries. Renteria survived his suicide attempt and was taken into custody. He has been charged with murder and mutilation of her body. His bail was set at $4 million, and he is scheduled to appear in court on November 18.

Bunyan's family is shocked and devastated. They told KTLA 5, “June was known for her vibrant personality, infectious laugh, and deeply compassionate heart. 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.” The family has started a GoFundMe to raise funds to bring her body home for a proper memorial and burial. 

The Big Picture:

Sadly, this type of tragedy is not an isolated incident. Studies have shown that the leading cause of death for a pregnant woman is murder. According to ABC News, pregnant women in the United States are more than twice as likely to be murdered during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth than they are to die from the three main medical causes of maternal death associated with childbirth. The majority of these homicides are at the hands of the woman's intimate partner. In addition, Black women are three times as likely to be killed by their intimate partners around the time of pregnancy compared to white or Hispanic women. 

Go Deeper:

Study: Pregnant women more likely to die by homicide than by maternal illness

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