June Bunyan, 37, and Jonathan Renteria, 25, had welcomed a baby girl weeks before the murder.
A man has pleaded not guilty to a new indictment charging him with murdering his Scottish wife June Bunyan in the US.
June, 37, who is originally from the Isle of Arran, was found dismembered in her apartment in Los Angeles, California, on September 11 last year. Her husband Jonathan Renteria, 25, was charged with her murder four days later.
The couple had welcomed a baby girl just weeks before the murder.
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office revealed yesterday Renteria has been indicted on one count each of murder and mutilation/disinterment of human remains, along with a new count of misdemeanor child abuse.
Authorities allege Renteria killed June, who had moved to the US to work as a lawyer. She was last seen alive on September 4.
The following day, Renteria was seen on his way to drop off the couple’s one-month-old child at his parents’ house while carrying trash bags filled with unknown contents.
Renteria — who was later found in a nearby hotel room suffering from a bloody arm injury — allegedly confessed to killing his wife during an argument in their Franklin Avenue apartment about her weight.
He was ordered to remain behind bars without bail and will appear at a Los Angeles courthouse on June 2 for a pretrial hearing, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
June set up a paralegal service after she moved to LA – but her ultimate aim was to pass the US bar exam so she could practise law in California. Shortly after she started her relationship with Renteria, June filed a restraining order against him citing domestic violence. That claim was later dropped.
Officers discovered June’s torso with missing limbs. The autopsy says the cause of death was traumatic neck injuries and that June suffered approximately 10 “sharp force injuries.”
Her family have since launched a fundraising bid to cover a legal fight to bring her baby to Scotland.
June’s daughter Regina remains in the US with Renteria’s parents. Her family have launched a custody battle to bring her baby home to Scotland but need £40,000 to foot the legal costs.
June’s mother Jill, who still lives on Arran, previously said she wants the details about what happened to her daughter in the public domain. She visits June’s grave in Arran nearly every day and says she finds comfort speaking to her daughter.
Paying tribute, she said she wants her daughter to be remembered as “very beautiful, very intelligent, very funny, humorous, crazy, kind, loving, passionate”.
Jill added: “I know we’re never going to get her back, ever, but I just need to know what happened to her. June deserved better. Way better.”
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