Visalia man charged in February murder of 40-year-old Nicole Kunz

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Nearly 2 months aft 40-year-old Nicole Kunz's assemblage was recovered successful a Raymond home, her accused murderer appeared successful tribunal Wednesday afternoon.

Action News was not permitted to grounds the hearing.

60-year-old Lenny Sciacca is charged with first-degree execution aft prosecutors allege helium changeable Kunz 5 times connected February 15th and waited a time to study the shooting to instrumentality enforcement presenting himself to them arsenic different victim.

The execution happened astatine a location that is owned by Sciacca.

His lawyer claims Sciacca is not blameworthy and that different radical were astatine the location astatine the clip of the shooting.

Friends of Kunz said she and Sciacca were successful an on-and-off again narration for astir six years and adjacent worked together.

Kunz's person Heidi Cox called the narration volatile.

"There was a batch of controlling and jealousy and conscionable a batch of toxicity similar I stated before," said Cox. "Obviously, I thought it would ne'er get to thing similar this, but that was my archetypal interest erstwhile I recovered retired thing had happened to her."

Cox calls it a alleviation to yet spot him charged.

Sciacca was arrested connected March 29th much than a period aft the shooting instrumentality enforcement claims helium appeared to beryllium acceptable to tally going arsenic acold arsenic leaving helium a missive to his children explaining however to liquidate his assets.

His defence denies those claims and said Sciacca cooperated with investigators.

"The officers who arrested him, the deputies formed the sentiment that helium was preparing to flee," said Sally Moreno, Madera County District Attorney. "It's unclear, that volition beryllium litigated successful court, but helium appeared to person rather a spot of survivalist benignant of worldly successful his truck."

"Well if 1 flees with potted orangish plants and potting ungraded and shovels and rakes, past I conjecture ones fleeing, but again they didn't archer the justice helium had spot helium was taking backmost up to his compartment present successful Raymond," said John Jackson, Defense Attorney.

That compartment was the location wherever Kunz was found.

If convicted connected each charges Sciacca faces 50 years to life.

The justice acceptable nary bail astatine this time. Sciacca is owed backmost successful tribunal connected Monday greeting for a bail reappraisal wherever his defence is hopeful a bail volition beryllium set.

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