A Florida bodybuilder was arraigned Monday on first-degree murder charges in the death of his ex-wife.
Former Marine and bodybuilder Ian Christopher Baunach, 43, was charged with the murder of Katie Baunach, 39, who was last seen alive on Sept. 29, according to TMZ. Friends say Katie went retrieve some personal items from her ex-husband but never returned.
When police went to Christopher’s home the following day, Katie’s car was still parked outside, but he refused to let police enter the premises, TMZ continued. When law enforcement returned with a warrant, the car was gone. Inside the house, police found evidence of a struggle, including blood stains.
A Florida bodybuilder has been accused of incinerating his ex-wife in a backyard. 43-year-old Ian Christopher Baunach — a Marine vet — was arraigned on Monday on first-degree murder charges in the death of Katie Baunach.https://t.co/T0IJS4rq8q
— URBAN POP FAN (@UrbanPopFan) October 12, 2022
Police found Katie’s engagement and wedding rings at the home and discovered human remains in a backyard burn pit that reeked of burning flesh, TMZ reported. A jawbone was uncovered from the burn pile with a tooth still intact, according to the Daily Beast.
Christopher was arrested in Nov. 2021 on charges of domestic battery by strangulation. He was released the same day on $25,000 bond, with prosecutors failing to pursue the case and dropping all charges against Christopher in January, the Daily Beast noted. In Sept. 2022, Katie filed a restraining order against him. (RELATED: Woman Flees Alleged Captor After Two Months Of Rape, Horrific Abuse)
He has pleaded not-guilty to all the new charges against him, which include first-degree premeditated murder, destruction/concealment of physical evidence and cremating a dead body, the outlet noted.