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

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Nearly two months after 40-year-old Nicole Kunz's body was found in a Raymond home, her accused murderer appeared in court Wednesday afternoon.

Action News was not permitted to record the hearing.

60-year-old Lenny Sciacca is charged with first-degree murder after prosecutors allege he shot Kunz 5 times on February 15th and waited a day to report the shooting to law enforcement presenting himself to them as another victim.

The murder happened at a home that is owned by Sciacca.

His lawyer claims Sciacca is not guilty and that other people were at the home at the time of the shooting.

Friends of Kunz said she and Sciacca were in an on-and-off again relationship for about six years and even worked together.

Kunz's friend Heidi Cox called the relationship volatile.

"There was a lot of controlling and jealousy and just a lot of toxicity like I stated before," said Cox. "Obviously, I thought it would never get to anything like this, but that was my first concern when I found out something had happened to her."

Cox calls it a relief to finally see him charged.

Sciacca was arrested on March 29th more than a month after the shooting law enforcement claims he appeared to be ready to run going as far as leaving he a letter to his children explaining how to liquidate his assets.

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

"The officers who arrested him, the deputies formed the opinion that he was preparing to flee," said Sally Moreno, Madera County District Attorney. "It's unclear, that will be litigated in court, but he appeared to have quite a bit of survivalist kind of stuff in his truck."

"Well if one flees with potted orange plants and potting soil and shovels and rakes, then I guess ones fleeing, but again they didn't tell the judge he had property he was taking back up to his cabin here in Raymond," said John Jackson, Defense Attorney.

That cabin was the home where Kunz was found.

If convicted on all charges Sciacca faces fifty years to life.

The judge set no bail at this time. Sciacca is due back in court on Monday morning for a bail review where his defense is hopeful a bail will be set.

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