Zachary Aaron Bunney was arrested on January 10, 2019 and charged in the 2006 robbery and murder of 47-year-old Scott Martinez in La Mesa, California. Martinez was slain in his apartment on June 17, 2006, by an assailant wielding a sword. Martinez had been slashed about 30 times with the sword, and it is likely that the perpetrator cut himself during the attack.
Blood was found at the scene and used to create a DNA profile of the suspect but did not match any suspects in the law enforcement databases. The FGG investigation was conducted by Parabon Nanolabs.
Bunney pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter on 13 November 2019 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was dating Martinez’ babysitter, and he lived in the area at the time of the murder. There is no known motive for the killing, and Bunney had not been a suspect at the time.
Sources:
Figueroa, Teri. “Police: Genetic Genealogy Leads to Arrest in 2006 Fatal Sword Stabbing.” San Diego Union-Tribune, January 24, 2019. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/sd-me-la-mesa-sword-cold-case-20190124-story.html.
Putnam, Neal. “Man Pleads Guilty in 2006 Murder Case, Used Sword.” The Californian, November 23, 2019. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://eccalifornian.com/man-pleads-guilty-in-2006-murder-case-used-sword/.
Repard, Pauline. “DNA Tied Him to Fatal Sword Attack. He’ll Spend 12 Years in Prison Now.” Los Angeles Times, December 19, 2019. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-19/la-mesa-sword-slaying-zachary-bunney-sentencing.