The Nadya Swartz case is a 2020 Georgia murder in which Nadya Catherine Swartz helped lure her ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Kenneth Eugene Bunn, to a remote spot along the Conasauga River in Murray County so that her new boyfriend, Justin Payton Hooker, could shoot him. Swartz pleaded guilty to murder on March 31, 2021, and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 30 years. Hooker received an identical sentence three weeks earlier.
Who Kenneth Bunn Was
Kenneth Bunn was born on June 14, 1992, in Dalton, Georgia, and grew up in Chatsworth. He worked on a patch crew for a concrete company. Family and friends described him as kind, empathetic, and free-spirited; his close friend Rachael Neal called him her “brother blood or not blood.”1Dalton Citizen. Kenneth Bunn Obituary He was 27 when he was killed.
How the Plot Came Together
Swartz and Bunn began dating around October 2019 after meeting on social media. The relationship lasted only a few months, and by early 2020 Swartz was with Justin Hooker. Friction between the two men escalated quickly, and Hooker allegedly threatened to “blow Kenny’s head off if he didn’t leave Nadya alone,” according to an associate who spoke with investigators.2Oxygen. Nadya Swartz and Justin Hooker Involved in Kenny Bunn’s Murder
Prosecutors argued Swartz drove the plan. Rachael Neal told investigators that Swartz had a “very weird, dark, romantic fantasy about murder” and appeared to be “playing a game of ‘Who would kill for me?'” Neal added that Swartz “didn’t care which one of them died, she just wanted somebody to kill for her.”2Oxygen. Nadya Swartz and Justin Hooker Involved in Kenny Bunn’s Murder Days before the killing, prosecutors said, Swartz suggested to Hooker that they kill Bunn. On March 14, 2020, Hooker bought a .22 caliber revolver from an acquaintance.
The Night of the Murder
On the evening of March 15, 2020, Bunn left his grandmother’s home around 7:45 p.m. to walk to a nearby store. Surveillance footage from Harry’s Convenience Store captured Swartz picking him up, apparently under the pretense of rekindling their relationship.2Oxygen. Nadya Swartz and Justin Hooker Involved in Kenny Bunn’s Murder She drove him to a secluded spot off Carlton Petty Road at the Conasauga River Bridge in Crandall, where Hooker was waiting. An argument broke out, and Hooker shot Bunn four times. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds: three to the head and one to the chest.
Afterward, the couple took Bunn’s cell phone and later returned to the scene to retrieve it because Swartz feared her fingerprints were on it. Hooker dumped the revolver in a trash bin behind a Big Lots in Dalton.3NewsChannel 9. Couple Pleads Guilty, Sentenced in Murder of Chatsworth Man Neither the gun nor the phone was ever recovered.
How Police Identified Them
The next morning, fishermen found Bunn’s body near the river bridge. He had no wallet, ID, or phone, and he was initially unidentified.4Dalton Citizen. Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Ex-Boyfriend
Two tips broke the case fast. Bunn’s family told police he had gone to meet Swartz the night he disappeared. Separately, the relative who had sold Hooker the revolver two days earlier contacted police with concerns about Hooker. That gun seller later told authorities that when he asked Hooker whether he had used the weapon to kill Bunn, Hooker replied, “Yeah.”2Oxygen. Nadya Swartz and Justin Hooker Involved in Kenny Bunn’s Murder Convenience store surveillance also caught Hooker disposing of empty shell casings.4Dalton Citizen. Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Ex-Boyfriend Both suspects initially denied any knowledge of the killing but were arrested within days of the body being found.5Times Free Press. Couple Arrested on Murder Charges in Murray County
Swartz’s Confession and the Self-Defense Story
After her arrest, Swartz confessed to plotting the murder and admitted she had helped lure Bunn to the secluded location to ensure there were no witnesses.3NewsChannel 9. Couple Pleads Guilty, Sentenced in Murder of Chatsworth Man She also offered a self-defense story, claiming Bunn had tried to strangle her and that Hooker shot him to protect her. Officers noted that she had no physical signs of strangulation or a struggle.
Hooker initially denied any involvement. He later floated the same self-defense version to a fellow inmate, then abandoned it entirely at his plea hearing, admitting in court that the account was a lie and that Bunn had not attacked anyone. He also admitted he had handed ammunition to Swartz to hold while he was under the influence of drugs, and that she returned the bullets to him before the crime.3NewsChannel 9. Couple Pleads Guilty, Sentenced in Murder of Chatsworth Man
The Guilty Pleas and Sentence
Justin Hooker pleaded guilty to malice murder on March 10, 2021, before Superior Court Judge William Boyett. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 30 years from his arrest date.6Dalton Citizen. Dalton Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder in Murray County
Swartz pleaded guilty to murder on March 31, 2021, before Superior Court Judge Cindy Morris and received the same sentence: life with the possibility of parole after a minimum of 30 years. She made no statements at her sentencing hearing. Under Georgia law, a person who encourages, advises, or assists in the commission of a crime is guilty of the same offense and subject to the same punishment as the person who directly committed it, which is why Swartz faced the same murder charge and sentence as the shooter.4Dalton Citizen. Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Ex-Boyfriend Both are eligible for parole consideration around 2050.2Oxygen. Nadya Swartz and Justin Hooker Involved in Kenny Bunn’s Murder