Judge Gives Salisbury Killer Life Sentence, Report Says

A Lehigh County judge sentenced Jonathan Nunez, 21, of Allentown to life in prison without parole for the killing of Kimberly Cardona of Whitehall Township, according to a report in The Morning Call.

Lehigh County Judge Kelly L. Banach called Nunez a "savage" and an "animal," according to the Morning Call report. 

A Lehigh County Court jury on Aug. 19 found Nunez guilty of first-degree murder in the July 4, 2012 slaying.

Nunez admitted during testimony that he beat Cardona and slit her throat. He said that he drank four alcoholic beverages and smoked synthetic marijuana before committing the murder.

Cardona's body had been found on the evening of July 5, 2012 in the 2700 block of Lanze Lane in Salisbury Township. When police arrived, they saw her "badly beaten body," which was about 15 feet from the road, according to an arrest affidavit.

An autopsy by the Lehigh County Coroner's office revealed Cardona died sometime after 7 p.m. July 4, 2012 of blunt and sharp trauma. According to the arrest affidavit, the wounds on her hands and arms were believed to have been "defensive wounds." 

According to the arrest affidavit, Nunez told police in an interview:

• He and Cardona drove to Lanze Lane on the evening of July 4, 2012 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.