In the Wind

We believe that on Wednesday, October 10, 2012, Peter strangled and drowned Q.C. in the bathroom of their Newport Beach home, before placing her in the back of his car.  Her body was discovered a week later in a dumpster (still wrapped in the comforter from her own bed), along with $10,000 cash and jewelry and passports for Q.C. and her children… all of the items that Peter Chadwick claims he gave to Juan, his mystery tormentor who allegedly threatened him with a small, dull Swiss Army knife.

In this episode, we’re going to tell you about what happened to Peter Chadwick after he was arrested for his wife’s murder, and how he became a fugitive from justice.  How, through his selfishness and greed, he found one more way to abandon his three sons.

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See the Photos

Passports, jewelry, and foreign currency found with Q.C.’s body

Cash found with Q.C.’s body

Bag containing jewelry, found with Q.C.’s body.

Jewelry found with Q.C.’s body

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Chapter 1: As Seen on TV

[Sgt. Depweg’s voice shown in italics]

There are all kinds of misconceptions about homicide investigations.  Many come from television, and are the product of the format used to tell the story.  In real life, justice is never served up in an hour, or a week, or even in a season.

After a suspect is arrested for a felony, he or she has their first appearance before a judge, known as the arraignment. Here, the defendant enters an initial plea: guilty, or not guilty. When the plea is “not guilty”, next up are the pre-trial hearings (where attorneys discuss potential plea deals and the exchanging of evidence), and then a preliminary hearing (where the judge decides if there is enough evidence to go to trial). All that before the multi-stage trial process begins.  Years can pass between the day a murder suspect is arrested and the day their trial actually starts.  There’s a lot to do, and a lot on the line.

Police Officers are used to hearing off-handed comments about the way we should do our jobs.  Often, these are criticisms that are easy to make from the outside, without the burden of actually working within the legal system.  Police officers do not get to make arrests based on hunches (even really solid ones), or revoke someone’s right to bail, or force a trial to move ahead at warp speed.  We don’t have the resources – or the option – to follow people around 24/7, or monitor their movements, or keep tabs on their internet searches or their purchases.

People often forget that there is always another case… actually another 20 cases… sitting on each of the detectives’ desks.  And no victim of a battery or an assault is willing to say “Forget about my case; just dedicate yourself to that homicide investigation for the next year.  I can wait.”

(Intro)

Welcome to “Countdown to Capture”.  I’m Jennifer Manzella, your host for this podcast and the spokesperson for the Newport Beach Police Department.  At this point in our story, Peter Chadwick is the primary suspect in the murder of his wife of 17 years, Q.C.  We believe that on Wednesday, October 10, 2012, Peter strangled and drowned Q.C. in the bathroom of their Newport Beach home, before placing her in the back of his car.  Her body was discovered a week later in a dumpster (still wrapped in the comforter from her own bed), along with $10,000 cash and jewelry and passports for Q.C. and her children… all of the items that Peter Chadwick claims he gave to Juan, his mystery tormentor who allegedly threatened him with a small, dull Swiss Army knife.

Today, I’m going to tell you about what happened to Peter Chadwick after he was arrested for his wife’s murder, and how he became a fugitive from justice.  How, through his selfishness and greed, he found one more way to abandon his three sons.

This episode features the voices of three people associated with this investigation.  From the NBPD, we have Lieutenant Bryan Moore (who was a detective assigned to this case back in 2012), and Detective Sergeant Court Depweg (who is the supervisor overseeing the case today).  You’ll also hear the voice of Matt Murphy, who is prosecuting this case for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Chapter 2: Making Bail

The scheduled bail amount for murder in California is $1,000,000.  Once Peter Chadwick is in custody, detectives immediately contact the Central Justice Center in Orange County to request a bail modification. In the declaration, an investigator explains his reasoning:

[Lt. Moore’s voice shown in italics] The investigation showed that the suspect has access to large amounts of money (possibly millions) and would be able to post the scheduled bail.  Based on the investigation, the suspect’s willingness to abandon his children, and his activities, I believe that if the Defendant is granted bail, he will likely attempt to further conceal evidence of the crime and/or flee the country to evade prosecution.

The declaration concludes with a request to revoke bail, so that Peter Chadwick must remain in custody until his case goes to trial.

[Matt Murphy’s voice shown in italics] So here’s the statute in, uh, regarding bail in the State of California.  It reads as follows:

In setting, reducing, or denying bail, a judge or magistrate shall take into consideration the protection of the public, the seriousness of the offense charged, the previous criminal record of the defendant, and the probability of his or her appearing at trial or at a hearing of the case. The public safety should be the primary consideration.

So in a case like this, when you got a guy who has no criminal background, uh, in Orange County, the way bail has functioned is it’s a million dollars, uh, unless there’s some reason that you can articulate to raise it.

Peter Chadwick, at the time that he is accused of killing his wife, is most certainly being charged with a serious offense.  He does not, however, have any prior criminal record.  And, despite NBPD’s opinion to the contrary, he is not deemed to be a flight risk, given his prior history as a responsible parent.

Bail is not revoked, but a judge is convinced to increase the bail amount to $1,500,000 dollars.

[Matt Murphy’s voice shown in italics] So, at his arraignment on October 15, three days before his wife’s body is found, uh, Peter pleads “not guilty”.

Ok.  So, in, uh, in this particular case, what happens is, murder cases… are… the investigations are often very fluid. And, and what that means is they’re ongoing.  Just because someone has been arrested, doesn’t mean the investigation stops.  And in this particular case, uh, after Chadwick had been arrested, the investigation really is… it-it continues to gather information for weeks and even months, in trying to piece together what happened in a murder like this.

And when, uh, initially, what-what you’ll see oftentimes in domestic murder, domestic violence type murders, which this is, uh, money is often a-a major component in these things, and in the initial phases… And, I don’t wanna go, get too much into details on this… But, um, it certainly appeared that there was a financial motive.

Prosecutors from the Orange County DA’s Office add a special circumstances enhancement to Peter’s allegations: murder for financial gain.  The enhancement is enough to hold Peter without bail, for the time being.

And the time is short.  By December, prosecutors cannot produce enough evidence to show that Peter killed Q.C. for the purpose of collecting on her life insurance policy.

[Matt Murphy’s voice shown in italics] We know that this guy’s got tons of cash, we’re worried that he might split, but the problem is that we don’t have any, any objective facts indicating that at this point, and ethically we can’t proceed with an enhancement that no longer is borne out by the evidence.

And so the judge makes a decision: Peter Chadwick will be allowed to post bail after all, and that bail amount will be reduced back to the original $1,000,000.  He must turn over both his US and UK passports to the NBPD.

He makes all the necessary arrangements with a bail bond company and celebrates that Christmas as a free man.  Peter Chadwick, you see, is considered innocent until proven guilty.

And how will he use his newfound freedom?  Instead of focusing on the needs of his children and the irreparable damage he’s done to his family, Peter starts to plan his escape.

Chapter 3: Keeping up Appearances

For two years, Peter Chadwick meets his obligations to the criminal justice system.  He is present for the required proceedings, stays in contact with his lawyer, and follows rules for visiting his sons (who are now in the protective custody of other family members).  By March, his lawyer ensures that his SUV, which has been held as evidence for months, is returned to him.  Peter relocates to Santa Barbara to stay with his father, and makes a three-hour drive back to Orange County for his court appearances.

[Matt Murphy’s voice shown in italics]

So here in Orange County, we don’t typically, uh, plead our homicide cases.  When, uh, a human life is taken by somebody else what we do is we let a jury figure out whether it’s a first-degree murder, second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, self-defense.  We very, very rarely will settle a homicide case. 

So, as we’re going through that process, we show up on January 16, 2015 and, uhhhh, I was there, the attorney’s there, everybody’s there except for Mr. Chadwick.

It’s been two years and three months since Peter entered his “not guilty” plea at his arraignment.  That trial is seeming more and more inevitable.  But the defendant is nowhere to be found.

The judge issues a bench warrant for his arrest in the amount of $250,000, but agrees to hold it until the next hearing date in two weeks.  If Peter appears at court, the judge will allow the hearing to proceed and will withdraw the warrant.

On January 28, everyone (except Peter) is in the courtroom again.  Peter’s lawyer tells the judge that he has not been able to locate his client anywhere.  The judge hears how Peter has been despondent lately, and that his family members are concerned he might have tried to take his own life.

[Matt Murphy’s voice shown in italics] The judge issues the bench warrant for Peter’s arrest.  The District Attorney’s office requests that the warrant amount be increased to $10,000,000.

But the judge doesn’t go quite that far; he starts at a more restrained $1,000,000.  As time goes on, the dollar amount of this warrant becomes irrelevant, because Peter Chadwick is most certainly considered a flight risk, and will not have the option to bail out in the future.

For now, though, Peter is out on bail… and not showing up to court is a violation of the terms of that agreement.  The judge is concerned about forfeiting Peter’s bail for failing to appear in court.  He asks for attorneys on both sides to reconvene in his courtroom in two more weeks to discuss the options, if Peter has not surfaced by then.  The judge explains that forfeiting the bail would actually be a blow to the Chadwick boys, since a seizure of their father’s assets would deplete their father’s estate and leave them without any financial support.

Don’t let this talk of suicide fool you… Peter Chadwick, once again, has left his sons in a perilous position.  In his selfishness, he has fled without a thought as to the impact that his absence, and his financial recklessness, would have on the boys.  The three brothers are left with a complete stranger – the judge – to worry about their future.

Chapter 4: In the Wind

[Sgt. Depweg’s voice shown in italics]

When Peter Chadwick stops showing up to court in early 2015, the United States Marshals Service joins the team of investigators looking for him.  And soon, any fears of Peter Chadwick’s emotional stability and potential for suicide fade away.

The Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force learns that he has emptied millions of dollars out of the bank accounts that he has access to.  Not only that, he has taken out the maximum cash advances available on a number of credit cards.  There is no money left for the boys, and – even worse – there will soon be hundreds of thousands of dollars in collection from the credit card companies.

The picture becomes complete when the Task Force comes across some of the reading material that Peter left behind.  There are books about changing your identity and living off the grid.  Peter Chadwick has chosen to become a fugitive from justice.

And he has practiced.  Investigators find that Peter had been making “test travel” trips, to Pennsylvania and Seattle, and attempted another trip to Missouri.  He wanted to test the bounds of law enforcement and his court orders.  What happened – or didn’t happen – confirmed his hunch: he wasn’t under constant surveillance. 

And in January of 2015, Peter Chadwick disappears.  He leaves behind his three sons, who have suffered heartbreak and abandonment at his hands time and time again.  Because of him, these three boys are now motherless, fatherless… and penniless.