US Millionaire Who Allegedly Killed Malaysian Wife In 2012 Caught Hiding In Mexico
"Today is sweet. We apprehended a fugitive on America's Most Wanted List."
On 10 October 2012, Malaysia-born Quee Choo was murdered in the home she shared with her millionaire husband Peter Chadwick in Newport Beach, United States
The naturalised US citizen, who made his millions in property development, told police that his wife was killed by a handyman named Juan, BBC reported.
Chadwick alleged that Juan then took him hostage before forcing him to drive to Mexico to dump her body.
However, police later found Chadwick a few miles from the Mexican border.
Chadwick was arrested after police found blood under his nails and scratches on his neck.
His wife's body was found days later dumped in a bin near San Diego.
The 55-year-old was accused of strangling her in a dispute over a possible divorce, but was released in December 2012 on a USD1 million (RM4 million) bail after giving up his UK and US passports.
However, he disappeared two years later and misled police by leaving clues that led them to Canada.
"Today is sweet. We apprehended a fugitive on America's Most Wanted List," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said
"We believe that [he] has been in Mexico since his disappearance. He used a variety of aliases and obtained several fake IDs," Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis told a press conference on Tuesday, 6 August.
It was revealed that he stayed in high-end hotels until passport identification was required. He then turned to more modest accommodations.
"What made him so difficult to find is the fact that he fled with a decent amount of money... Approximately a million dollars," supervisory inspector with the US Marshals Service Craig McCluskey said.
Chadwick is charged with one felony count of murder and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years-to-life in state prison if convicted