June Bunyan, a woman from the U.K. who was found dead inside her Los Feliz apartment, had previously filed for legal protection from her then-partner, Jonathan Renteria, NBC4 has learned.
On Dec. 29, 2023, Bunyan filed a request for a restraining order against then 23-year-old Jonathan Renteria, alleging acts of domestic violence.
In her request for the restraining order, Bunyan reported that the couple had either a current or previous dating relationship and had lived with the person as a family.
The filing stemmed from an incident two days prior, on Dec. 27, in which Bunyan reported her neighbor had heard or seen happen.
Bunyan reported, “Jonathan attended my property to collect items. When talking outside, he became 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.” Bunyan claims Renteria also made threats regarding her immigration status.
Four days prior, Bunyan reported that he had made threats to ruin her work and had deleted contacts and messages from her phone.
She also included a handwritten note to the judge overseeing the case that described Renteria as her ex-partner who had recently displayed erratic behavior.
Renteria filed a response to the restraining order request on Jan. 17, 2024, in which he said he did not agree with the requested order.
A woman was found dead and dismembered in an apartment in Hollywood. Lauren Coronado reports for the NBC4 News at 6 a.m. on Sept. 26, 2025.
Renteria reported that after the initial request was filed by Bunyan, she contacted him and asked to speak with him in person.
“As of Jan. 17, 2024, I spoke to the other party and they said they want to speak to me in person, and that they no longer wish to pursue a restraining order,” Renteria wrote in his court filing.
Renteria also included screenshots of several messages reportedly written by Bunyan between the couple that appear to show a change of heart.
The emails and text messages include affectionate conversations, including “you’re an absolute blessing in my life and since I’ve met you, I’ve slowly but surely watched my world become a happier place,” and “Like I said, I would still see you for sex but that’s all because I need to. work on myself for a while. You should too.”
There was a hearing scheduled for Jan. 22, 2024, before a judge to rule on the validity and potential implementation of a restraining order; however, Bunyan failed to appear, so the judge dismissed the request.
“Based on petitioner’s failure to appear, the request for a restraining order is dismissed without prejudice for lack of prosecution,” says Judge Jannet Perez Santiso in an order filed Jan 22.
Bunyan, 37, an aspiring lawyer and U.K. national, was found dead on Sept. 11 inside a residence in Los Feliz, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department tipped the LAPD about the possible death investigation after it responded to an attempted suicide call in Newbury Park. There, Ventura County investigators discovered a male with wrist injuries at a motel and a note that stated he had killed his wife, according to the LAPD.
LAPD officers responded to a call of a smell of decomposing flesh and once inside “observed limbs in a plastic bag,” in the apartment complex on Franklin Avenue. LAPD told NBC4 Investigates it believes she was murdered on Sept. 4, days before she was discovered.
Renteria, 25, was arrested and booked into county jail on suspicion of murder, according to a complaint filed with the Los Angeles County DA’s Office.
NBCLA editor Missael Soto contributed to this report.
