Peter Chadwick was a well-known figure in California for his wealth and success as a real estate investor. He lived in a luxurious $2.5 million mansion in Newport Beach, and to many, he appeared to have a perfect life. However, his life took a dark turn in 2012 when his wife, Quee Choo “QC” Chadwick, was murdered. The crime shattered Chadwick’s carefully crafted image and led to his eventual conviction as a criminal.
Background Story
Peter Chadwick was originally born in the United Kingdom but later became a naturalized United States citizen in 1991 when he married his college sweetheart, Quee Choo.
Tragically, on October 10, 2012, Peter Chadwick and his wife, Quee Choo “QC” Chadwick, got into an argument over a potential divorce and financial issues. During the argument, Chadwick strangled his wife to death in their Newport Beach home.
Later that afternoon, two of the couple’s three sons – aged 8, 10, and 14 at the time – were found abandoned at a school bus stop after their parents failed to pick them up from school. Another parent drove the children home and then requested a welfare check from the Newport Beach Police Department when neither Chadwick nor QC could be reached.
Police went to the Chadwick home to investigate and found evidence of a struggle in the master bedroom, including broken glass and a bloody towel, as well as bloodstains in the bathtub.
Chadwick is Arrested
Peter Chadwick initially tried to evade responsibility for his wife’s murder by claiming that a handyman named Juan had killed her and forced him to drive to Mexico to dispose of her body. However, his story quickly fell apart when officers noticed scratches on his neck and dried blood on his hands during questioning at a San Diego gas station.
Chadwick eventually led investigators to his wife’s body, which was found wrapped in a blanket and discarded in a dumpster in the San Diego suburb of Lakeside. He then admitted that his story about a handyman was fabricated and was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Quee.
Peter Chadwick was released on a $1 million bond while awaiting trial for his wife’s murder. As a condition of his release, he surrendered his American and British passports and agreed to live with his father, a wealthy investor, in Santa Barbara starting on December 21, 2012. Chadwick appeared at several court hearings over the course of two years, but in January 2015, he failed to show up for a pre-trial hearing. Authorities went to his father’s home in Santa Barbara, but family members claimed they did not know Chadwick’s whereabouts.
He Becomes a Fugitive
After fleeing from justice, Peter Chadwick became an international fugitive, and the US Marshals Service placed him on their 15 most-wanted list. In an effort to facilitate his capture, a $100,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.
After Peter Chadwick disappeared while awaiting trial for his wife’s murder, US authorities launched an extensive search for him across multiple countries. They searched for Chadwick in the United States, Canada, and Mexico as they attempted to track down the fugitive.
The capture of Peter Chadwick was the result of years of dedicated and painstaking police work.
In August 2019, after years of searching, US authorities working closely with Mexican police finally located Peter Chadwick in Puebla, a city near Mexico City.
Chadwick is returned to The US
After nearly a decade since the murder of his wife, Peter Chadwick pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement at Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana. He was immediately sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Credits: Vocal Media