Jonathan Nunez, accused of killing Kimberly Cardona of Whitehall, is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing today in Central Court in Allentown.

Nunez, 20, of 253 E. Fairview St., Allentown, was arrested and charged Aug. 2 with beating and stabbing to death the 20-year-old woman and dumping her body July 4 on wooded Lanze Lane in Salisbury Township.

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Her body was found July 5 by a man walking his dog. Nunez told police he had gotten into an argument with Cardona and cut her neck with a knife.

According to the arrest affidavit, Nunez told Salisbury police:

• He and Cardona drove to Lanze Lane on the evening of July 4 and parked the car. While there, he got into an argument with her. 
• He assaulted Cardona, then cut her neck with a knife.
• He drove his car from the area, but later returned and poured bleach on her body.

When police arrived at 8:33 p.m., they saw her "badly beaten body," which was about 15 feet from the road.

Also, according to the affidavit:

• Cardona had injuries to her head, face, neck, hands, legs and torso.
• A strong odor of bleach had emanated from the victim’s body, and detectives had noticed her clothing appeared to be discolored.
• Police found a pair of broken glasses on the road nearby and saw numerous broken branches in foliage surrounding her body.

Cardona had been missing since July 4, according to her family. An autopsy by the Lehigh County Coroner's office revealed she died sometime after 7 p.m. July 4 of blunt and sharp trauma. According to the arrest affidavit, the wounds on her hands and arms were believed to have been "defensive wounds."

Salisbury Township police and other investigators followed a trail of clues to find Kimberly Cardona's alleged killer that led them to New York City, New Jersey and the Dominican Republic.

Nunez's preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 31 had been cancelled.