A British-born millionaire suspected of murdering his wife at their California home has been arrested after spending four years on the run.
Peter Chadwick, 55, was captured in Mexico on Sunday and has been extradited to the US to face trial.
He has been in hiding since he failed to appear in court in January 2015.
Chadwick, a naturalised US citizen, was found thanks to a tip-off after police offered a $100,000 (£82,000) reward for information leading to his capture.
His case even inspired police to release a podcast – Countdown to Capture – which attracted hundreds of tip-offs from all over the world.
How was he found?
“We received a tip with some general information that… we could use to pinpoint [Chadwick’s] exact location,” Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis told a press conference on Tuesday.
He said Chadwick was arrested by immigration officials near Mexico City on Sunday night before he was flown to Los Angeles and detained.
“We believe that [he] has been in Mexico since his disappearance,” Chief Lewis added. “He used a variety of aliases and obtained several fake IDs.
“He stayed in high-end hotels but when [they] began requiring passport identification he turned to more modest accommodation.”
“Today is sweet,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer added. “We apprehended a fugitive on America’s Most Wanted List.”
What is he accused of?
In 2012, Chadwick called police and said his wife, Quee Choo, had been killed by a handyman who had then taken him hostage inside their home in Newport Beach.
He said the killer had forced him to drive to Mexico to dump the body.
But police later found Chadwick, who made his millions in property development, close to the Mexican border. He was arrested after they found blood under his nails and scratches on his neck.
Days later his wife’s body was found dumped in a bin near the Californian city of San Diego. Chadwick is accused of strangling her in a dispute over a possible divorce.
He was released in December 2012 on $1m bail after he gave up his UK and US passports. But two years later he disappeared.
Chadwick attempted to mislead police by leaving clues that he had fled to Canada, authorities said.
He has been charged with murder and is facing life in prison if found guilty.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Be the first to comment