A 25-year-old American man is suspected of killing his 36-year-old wife, whose body was found on September 11 in Los Angeles. The suspect said he placed her in a chokehold after an argument over the young mother's weight. The victim, a law student, was originally from Scotland and had moved to the United States for her studies.

Jonathan Renteria, a 25-year-old American, was arrested and detained for the murder of his wife, June Bunyan. He himself confessed to the crime.

The lifeless body of the 37-year-old young mother was found on September 11, in an advanced state of decomposition, and without arms or legs.

Earlier in the day, the alleged perpetrator was found in a hotel room bathtub with wounds on his forearm. A handwritten letter confessing to the murder was also found in the same room.

"My wife, June Renteria, died in her apartment. I killed her. I am sincerely sorry," he wrote, according to our American colleagues at ABC. After a stay in the hospital, he was questioned by the police and reiterated his confession.

An argument over "weight loss"

The events allegedly occurred on September 5, almost a week before the body was discovered.

According to CCTV footage, the man is seen "leaving the front door" of their home with their one-month-old baby in his arms. Two hours later, he appears to be walking towards the back of the building, "holding garbage bags."

When questioned about the circumstances of the murder, Jonathan Renteria told law enforcement he had been arguing with his wife "about her inability to lose weight" after the birth of their child just a month earlier, authorities said.

The young mother then allegedly "began packing her things" to leave and told him "that she would never let him see her daughter again," according to the suspect. He added that he then placed her in a "chokehold" learned in jiu-jitsu.

Femicide against a backdrop of domestic violence

Afterward, the alleged killer emailed his father, stating, "The only thing I could do at the time was to strangle him. And I did. I held it in for as long as I could, until my arms gave out. I was horrified at myself. Right afterward, I took a lot of medication to keep me going."

According to neighbors quoted by ABC, June Bunyan was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband, Jonathan Renteria. He was subsequently taken into custody for murder and mutilation of human remains.

A fundraiser has been set up online by the victim's relatives so that his body can be repatriated to Scotland.