LOS ANGELES — A Southern California millionaire charged with his wife’s killing has been captured after four years on the run, authorities said Monday.
U.S. Marshals spokesperson Lynzey Donahue said Peter Chadwick had been arrested but declined to provide additional details. The Orange County District Attorney’s office scheduled a news conference for Tuesday to discuss the case.
Chadwick, a Newport Beach real estate investor, was charged with strangling his wife in 2012 and released on $1 million bail. He skipped a court appearance in 2015 and the U.S. Marshals Service added him last year to its list of 15 most wanted fugitives.
The Orange County Register reported that he was captured on Sunday.
His U.S. And U.K. Passports Seized When He Was Released
Authorities say Chadwick called 911 a day after his wife Quee Choo Chadwick disappeared from their home and said she was killed by a handyman who kidnapped him and brought along the body. He quickly became the suspect, however, and her body was found a week later in a trash bin in suburban San Diego.
Chadwick was born in the United Kingdom and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1991. Authorities said both his U.S. and U.K. passports were seized when he was released on bail.
When he went missing, authorities learned he had emptied millions from bank accounts and said they discovered books he had allegedly read about changing one’s identity.
The Newport Beach police department wrote and produced a six-episode “true crime” podcast last year about the case in the hopes of intensifying the search for Chadwick.
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