A shocking story has gone viral across social media and news sites: a man in Los Angeles allegedly murdered his wife because she couldn’t lose weight after giving birth. The details are disturbing, and many are asking if this sad story is really true. After looking into the police reports, court documents, and statements from prosecutors, here’s what we found.
The man’s name is Jonathan Renteria. He is 25 years old and lives in Los Angeles. His wife, June Renteria, was 37. She had moved from Scotland to be with him. According to a police complaint, Jonathan confessed to killing his wife in a handwritten letter found at a hotel in Ventura County, California, on September 11, 2025.
That day, hotel staff found Jonathan in a bathtub with a wound on his arm. He had apparently tried to hurt himself. Next to him was a note that said, “My wife, June Renteria, is deceased in her apartment. I kill her. I am truly sorry.” On the back of the note was the address of their apartment in Hollywood.
Police went to the apartment for a welfare check. When they arrived, they smelled something foul coming from inside. When they got in, they found June’s body. It was in a terrible state. Her arms and legs had been cut off, and she was already decomposing. Police later confirmed that she had died from neck injuries.
Security footage showed Jonathan leaving the apartment with their 1-year-old daughter about five days before he was found at the hotel. After he was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries, he spoke with police. That’s when he allegedly confessed again. He told investigators that he and his wife had gotten into an argument because she hadn’t lost weight after her pregnancy. He said she threatened to leave him and take their daughter.
Jonathan told police that he put his wife in a “rear-naked chokehold,” a move he learned from jiujitsu. That detail matched what the medical examiner later found: that June died from trauma to her neck.
Prosecutors also said that Jonathan had sent an email to his father. In it, he wrote, “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. I was horrified at myself. Right after this I took a lot of drugs to get through it.”
He has now been charged with murder and the mutilation of human remains. His bail has been set at $4 million.
The story has drawn attention not just because of how gruesome it is, but also because of who the victim was. June Renteria, whose maiden name was June Bunyan, had come to the United States with dreams of becoming a defense lawyer. She had worked hard to earn a law degree back in Scotland. A GoFundMe page set up by her family says she was proud of her accomplishments and truly wanted to make a better life.
It’s difficult to make sense of a tragedy like this. People online have reacted with shock, anger, and heartbreak. Some are using the story to talk about mental health, domestic violence, and the pressures women face after childbirth. Others are simply mourning the loss of a bright young woman whose life was taken far too soon.
What we know for sure is this: the facts in the police report and court filings match the viral story. Jonathan Renteria did confess to killing his wife, and police found her body in the condition described. The motive he gave—an argument about her weight—appears to be real, as strange and cruel as it sounds.
This is not a hoax or an exaggeration. It’s a real and very sad case. And while the justice system will now decide what happens to Jonathan Renteria, June’s family is left trying to pick up the pieces and bring her home to Scotland.