Affidavit: Newport Beach Millionaire Claims A House Painter Killed His Wife
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The house painter killed his wife, a Newport Beach millionaire claims in a search warrant affidavit obtained by CBS2.
Peter Chadwick, 48, has been accused of murdering his wife, Quee, whose body was found dumped in a dumpster in rural San Diego County. She had been strangled and was found wrapped in a blanket, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.
Chadwick has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors say Quee Chadwick may have recently asked for a divorce.
Detectives interviewing Peter Chadwick in San Diego hours after his wife's disappearance nearly two weeks ago said, "Peter provided a statement that his wife was murdered in their master bathroom by a man who he had invited to their home to give an estimate for interior painting services."
Authorities ultimately determined these were "details…that were proven to be lies."
The murder came to light after the couple's two youngest sons were left at a bus stop alone after school, which struck friends of the Chadwicks as extremely odd.
Hours later, police officers entered the family home in Newport Coast and described finding evidence of blood and a struggle upstairs.
"On the back shelf of the tube were a broken red vase and a clear glass jar containing seashells that was broken…" the officer wrote in the search warrant. They also saw, "a light red fluid splattered along the inside and outside of the bathtub…consistent with blood."
Injuries on Peter Chadwick also indicated a struggle.
"During the booking process, we noticed numerous injuries on Peter's body suggesting he had recently been involved in a…physical altercation…which included scratches, one possible bite mark on his left wrist and bruising," the officer wrote in the affidavit.
Quee Chadwick's decomposing body was found six days later.
Authorities now want permission to go to the jail and examine Peter Chadwick further.
"Medical examiners...requested additional photographs of the bite mark on Peter's arm for comparison to the teeth/jaws of Quee Chadwick," according to the affidavit.
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