Newport Beach, CA: Newport Murder Suspect Claims Painter Strangled His Wife

A Newport Coast man charged with murdering his wife says a painter strangled and drowned her, but police found a bloody crime scene and injuries on his body that tell a different story, court documents show.

Peter Chadwick will appear in court today for a pretrial hearing. He could face the death penalty if convicted of murdering his wife Quee "Q.C." Chadwick, 46, for financial gain. The daughter of a wealthy Taiwanese family, Quee Chadwick was discussing divorce, and police believe Peter Chadwick killed her over money, according to court records.

Last month officers found a bloody towel, bloodstains on a bathtub in the master bedroom, broken glass and an open safe at the Chadwick home on Almanzora during a welfare check after the couple failed to pick up their children from school. The mother of another student at Pegasus School in Huntington Beach drove the Chadwick’s 12 and 8-year-old sons home and called police when no one answered the door.

At about 5:30 a.m. the next morning, Peter Chadwick , 48, called San Diego police as he drove along Interstate 905 and was ultimately arrested and charged with murder for financial gain, making him eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted. He later pleaded not guilty.

According to a search warrant affidavit, Peter Chadwick told detectives a man he hired to give an estimate for interior painting strangled and drowned his wife in their master bathroom. However authorities said when Peter Chadwick was booked, he had "numerous scratches, which appeared to be fresh, on the right side of Peter's neck and on his hands."

The body of Quee Chadwick was found a week after she went missing in a dumpster by a passer-by in the 1200 block of Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside. The San Diego Medical Examiner's Office reported her cause of death as strangulation.

The Chadwicks had been talking about getting a divorce, according to Newport Beach police. According to a search warrant affidavit, Quee Chadwick's family in Taiwan has over $100 million in assets.

Peter Chadwick remains behind bars without bail.

Anyone who may have information regarding this crime is asked to contact the Newport Beach Police Department at 800-550-NBPD or Detective Bryan Moore at 949-644-3764. Messages can be left anonymously if desired.