A California man accused of shooting his son’s mother dead during what was supposed to be a routine custody exchange on Sunday has been charged with first-degree murder.
KTLA 5 reports that 30-year-old Jacob Ryan Munn is behind bars in connection with the death of 27-year-old Brenda Renteria. The murder charges come with “special circumstance allegations” after he allegedly waited for the woman to arrive, with premeditated plans shoot her. Special circumstance allegations in California give prosecutors the right to seek the death penalty, although they haven’t announced yet whether they plan to pursue it.
During his first court appearance on April 9, Munn reportedly interrupted the judge several times, claiming that he loved his son and was not a monster, according to NBC Los Angeles.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Renteria arrived at the Hawthorne Police Department station off of Hawthorne Boulevard, at around 6 p.m. on Sunday to pick her son up from his father, Munn. The little boy was inside the police station waiting for his mom but as she approached the front door of the station, Munn reportedly got out of his car with a shotgun and opened fire.
Outside Hawthorne PD you can see holes in the wall. This is from the spray of the shotgun the suspect allegedly used in the attack.
30 year old Jacob Munn in custody for allegedly killing the mother of his child as they were meeting for a custody exchange. pic.twitter.com/xOA1JNshE6— Carlos Granda (@abc7carlos) April 8, 2019
The child was not harmed during the incident, but Renteria died at the scene. The victim was afraid of Munn, according to CBS Los Angeles, and brought her mother with her during the exchange to feel safer.
“I do not know if there was a restraining order in place, or if this was just an agreed upon location for them to make the exchange,” L.A. County Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Hoglund said during a Sunday night press release. “I do not know if there were any court papers involved in this.”
A relative of the victim, however, said the pair agreed on the police station as a place to meet since it was middle ground between their homes.
Jacob Munn appeared in court today on charges he shot his ex Brenda Renteria during a custody exchange. He repeatedly interrupted the judge insisting he is not a monster and he loves his kids. His arraignment is continued to April 24. Story at 6 PM @nbcla pic.twitter.com/24Y4fp7uLJ
— Angie Crouch (@AngieNBCLA) April 10, 2019
According to a GoFundMe page set up for Renteria, she was the mother of three children.
The suspect remains behind bars without bail. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Jacob Munn and Brenda Renteria/Facebook;GoFundMe]
