Newport Beach multimillionaire captured in Mexico for alleged murder of wife in 2012, police say
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A Southern California multimillionaire, who went on the run after he was charged in the 2012 death of his wife, was captured in Mexico over the weekend and is now in the hands of Orange County authorities, according to the Newport Beach Police Department.
Peter Chadwick, 54, is accused of strangling 46-year-old Quee Chadwick, to whom he was married for 21 years, after a heated argument on Oct. 10 of that year, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Her body was found eight days later in a dumpster in San Diego County.
According to a statement from the federal agency, Chadwick claimed at the time that his wife had been kidnapped and killed by a handyman, but police detectives who interviewed him "doubted his story, especially when they noticed scratches on his neck and dried blood on his hands."
The husband was arrested by Newport Beach police on Oct. 11, 2012, and charged with his wife's murder.
After his 2012 arrest, Peter Chadwick was released on $1.5 million bail and appeared at 13 subsequent court appearances while staying with his father in Santa Barbara. Chadwick also surrendered his U.S. and British passports.
The real estate investor disappeared in 2015 while awaiting trial. According to investigators, Chadwick withdrew millions of dollars from his bank accounts. The father of three had allegedly read books about how to live "off the grid."
He was placed on the U.S. Marshals Service Most Wanted list, with combined rewards for his capture totaling $100,000.
Chadwick is charged with one count of felony murder and faces 25 years to life if convicted.
