Charges dismissed against Puyallup woman who allegedly killed, mutilated her husband
Murder charges have been dismissed against a woman who allegedly killed her husband and then mutilated his body in Puyallup last June.
Janae Bunten, 34, was involuntarily committed to Western State Hospital by Superior Court Judge Edmund Murphy on March 10. Murphy found she was unable to assist in her own defense due to mental illness and is unlikely to regain competency in a reasonable time.
Bunten was shot by police officers from various agencies June 8 after she confronted them with a gun outside her home. Inside a bedroom was the body of her husband, Nicholas Andrew Bunten, who died the day before from two gunshot wounds.
An autopsy determined that his stomach had been cut open postmortem and parts of an internal organ removed.
Bunten told investigators the murder and mutilation were part of “God’s plan.”
FAMILY BECAME CONCERNED
On June 8, Pierce County sheriff’s deputies went to the Buntens’ home in the 500 block of Valley Avenue Northeast to perform a welfare check on Nicholas after family members became concerned. Janae Bunten refused to open the door.
Janae Buten’s father went to the house and got the couple’s four children safely out of the home.
Negotiators tried to speak with Janae Bunten and spotted her carrying a rifle and turning lights on and off. Then, she stepped out of the home carrying a gun, according to court records.
“Moments later, multiple shots were fired, and the defendant was reported to be down on the ground,” the records show.
Four officers fired at Bunten.
MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATION
In June, Murphy ordered Bunten to undergo a mental health evaluation to determine whether she could understand the criminal charges filed against her.
She was evaluated June 23, diagnosed with schizophrenia and found to be experiencing delusions of grandiose and religious nature, according to a competency evaluation report.
The Buntens married in 2016. Problems popped up in May 2020.
“At that time she believes she began receiving information directly from God, and that this led her to embrace religiosity in a manner that far exceeded anything she had done previously,” court records say.
Janae Bunten said she’d been receiving signs from God and wasn’t concerned about being charged in her husband’s murder because it was part of God’s plan. She believed Nicholas Bunten would be resurrected and they would “embark on a worldwide ministry,” records say.
The court ordered a second evaluation in September. Bunten was found to have a delusional disorder, according to the evaluation.
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 1:49 PM.
