48 Hours - Peter Chadwick: Caught - Encore

Episode Date: July 3, 2022

A “48 Hours” report helps trip up a wanted fugitive who spent more than four-and-a-half years on the run for allegedly killing his wife and staging a kidnapping. "48 Hours" Tracy Smith reports.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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ConstantContact.ca 🎵 It was so unusual for something like this to happen right outside your door. Behind the gates of a beautiful community. Well, as they say, a lot of things go on behind closed doors. The Chadwicks lived a very suburban life. Peter was very quiet, very soft-spoken. QC, she was bubbly and vivacious. When you say bubbly and vivacious, did she have a sense of humor? She was very funny, yes. And so smart and talented she could do anything. Our kids started the same school as her children. They were all friends. You see she came from Malaysia, not speaking English,

and she met Peter in school, she told us. Peter would work out of the home, managing the family investments. You know, they lived well. So from the outside, did it seem like the Chadwicks had this idyllic life? Yes, from the outside, it definitely seemed that way. I work out of my house, so my office just faces the street here.

Between 4 and 5 p.m., I saw cop cars in front of her house. And I'm thinking, what's going on? Between 4 and 5 p.m., I saw cop cars in front of her house. 4-4-9-11-20. And I'm thinking, what's going on? One of our other friends, she came right up to me and said, Karen, where's QC? Where's Peter? You're going up 43. At that point, we just knew that she didn't pick up the kids. It was kind of talk of the neighborhood, and that Peter and her were missing.

We send a patrol officer out there. So they go inside. It just looks like a typical Newport resident, where there was lunch being prepared. The house is immaculate. There's still vacuum lines in the carpet. Everything's made. It looks good.

And then when they go upstairs and they walk into the master bath, they realize there's a broken vase and a little bit of blood splattered around. Now we're actually starting to get worried about it. Investigators quickly identify Peter as a primary suspect

in his wife's disappearance. Chadwick was arrested, but made bail, and then he just disappeared. In January 2015, Peter Chadwick becomes a fugitive from justice. The search intensifies for a millionaire fugitive accused of murdering his wife and skipping bail. We had no idea this manhunt was going to become the logistical monster that it has. I mean, this manhunt has really expanded the entire globe. But now that manhunt is over. Peter Chadwick's life on the run ended, and we'll tell you how law enforcement got their man. The The The

The The After nearly five years on the run, the international manhunt for Peter Chadwick, accused of killing his wife QC, ended August 4th, 2019. We're pleased to announce that Peter Gregory Chadwick was located in Mexico on Sunday night. With the help and cooperation of the United States Marshal Service and authorities in Mexico, he was flown to Los Angeles International Airport, where our detectives took custody of him. But how did it come to this?

It's a twisted tale that began on a picture-perfect autumn day back in October 2012 in this posh neighborhood in Newport Beach, California. The couple had been living the good life, enjoying the trappings of wealth and raising three sons. Their oldest was away at boarding school. And when his two younger brothers headed home that day, the family's world turned upside down. So these boys got out of school and what happened? So they get out of school and a bus drops them off

at a bus stop near their house in Newport Coast. Sergeant Ryan Peters remembers that day. A neighbor saw them sitting at the bus stop past the time that they typically get picked up by either Peter or QC. So she stopped and asked, have you reached your mom and dad? And they said, no, they haven't been able to reach him. They were calling him. Nobody was answering. It was very unusual for the Chadwicks not to be punctual. Lieutenant Brian Moore was called in later. Dad should be here to pick them up. Dad is always here. Normal protocol during a missing persons case is we're checking with friends, we're checking with relatives.

And checking the hospitals, checking with family, neighbors. Anybody have any idea where they are? All attempts to locate them were a dead end. That same night, with their parents still missing, the boys slept at a friend's house. Investigators combed the Chadwick home for clues. And then when they go upstairs and they walk into the master bath, that's when patrol realizes there's more to the story.

In the master bathroom, they initially saw the broken glass, decorative glass that was around the bathroom tub, the edging. We had blood at the bottom of the bathtub. As you continue through the downstairs, the safe is clearly ajar. So it's starting to look like more than just a welfare check situation. to look like more than just a welfare check situation. Obviously, whoever left, left in haste. It looked quite suspicious. We were all in shock, like, where is she?

What's going on? Why is she missing? Word that the Chadwicks were gone spread quickly through the neighborhood. Heidi lived just across the street. What were they like? Well, QC was the one with all the personality. She was always looking forward to my annual Christmas party because she came over, she got to dress up, and she looked like a million dollars, and she had fun. My first impression of her was that she was a completely

devoted mother. Karen Thorpe had known QC for years. Their children went to school together. She was very determined to make sure they were getting good grades and they were completing their assignments and they were taking music and they were doing a sport and she wanted them to be the best at everything. And how were they? They were the best at everything. Their father, Peter, came from a wealthy family. He was born in Britain and had dual citizenship. QC's family was also affluent. They met at Arizona State University. Did you get the sense that she was very in love with him?

Yes, that she was in love with him and that she depended on him also. What do you mean depended on him? him and that she depended on him also. What do you mean depended on him? QC found our country to be a bit new and strange, different from where she had come from. And she was learning about how to do things here. Did you get the sense that Peter liked her depending on him? Yes. Yeah. We definitely all felt that he was completely comfortable with that. She was definitely less independent than many of her friends. QC and Peter married in 1991. When he grew more successful, the couple moved to that home in Newport Beach.

They eventually had three sons. Art Scott taught the two older boys piano. They were great students. They did everything I asked. I would teach him. Then after a few months, after he got more advanced, I would teach him. And it would expand beyond that as he got committed and did more work. They're very bright kids. I really enjoy being in their home.

She always had a beverage for me and something to eat every single time. And that doesn't happen every day for all the clients that I see. And so she's very congenial, very much making me feel warm in her house. And what was Peter like? He almost seemed painfully shy when we first met him. I felt like I never really knew him very well. What did Peter do? At first we didn't really know.

We thought he ran his own business, and then we learned he managed some apartment buildings. Was Peter kind of a mystery? Yes, Peter was a mystery. But, Karen says, she did sense that the couple's dynamic had been evolving over the past few years. QC was really beginning to come into her own and be her own person. I'd say she was less insecure about what to wear and what to do, and she was able to follow more of her way of doing things.

So you could see the self-confidence? I could see the self-confidence, yes. I felt at the time like I really knew the family, but I have to say, with so many things in life, you never really know about people's inside lives and what's really going on. Now police were left with two missing parents and those disturbing clues in the master bathroom.

And what were the boys saying? Boys had no idea where Mom and Dad were. Anybody have any clue? No, at that point, nobody had any clue at all. But that wouldn't last long. The first big break came here, near the Mexican border in San Diego. It was just before dawn the day after

when someone here, 100 miles from Newport Beach, called 911 with an emergency. It was Peter Chadwick. I have an emergency that's crystal. They took her. They took her. Who took her? The guy broke into my house. He drove me here. He hadlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military, and when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS.

Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years, I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn.

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call. Chadwick tells the operator QC had been murdered. This is the gas station where Chadwick called 911? Yeah, this is where he chose to kick off our investigation. And this was a huge break. This was huge. Sergeant Ryan Peters. Just to get a sense of where we are, how close are we to the border? Is that... It's right there.

What are we looking at? We're looking at Tijuana. We're that close? We're that close. What are we looking at? We're looking at Tijuana. We're that close? We're that close. What did Chadwick tell 911? Chadwick calls 911 and says he was kidnapped. And he was kidnapped by a guy named Juan who had killed his wife in Newport Beach. How do you know Juan?

I picked him up to look at some painting work at the house. I brought him to the house. So Peter and Juan go back to his home. And then what did Peter say happened? At some point, Peter and Juan separated. Juan continued upstairs and Peter went down to his office. Peter said within seconds he heard his wife QC screaming. He hears QC scream, Peter, Peter. And as he runs upstairs, he sees Juan strangling QC, who's in the bath in their master bedroom, and he's drowning her.

How do you know she's dead? She drowned. She drowned. Her body was stiff, even. As he goes up and sees this, witnesses this, he's held at bay by Juan with a two-inch pocket knife. Chadwick told police he was helpless

to save QC. Instead of being able to rescue his wife, he's held at bay by Juan, and Juan proceeds to finish killing his wife. Then, Chadwick said, Juan ordered him to help get QC's body out of the tub and wrap it in a blanket. And Peter says he walks over and grabs a green blanket and wraps her up in it, and that's the blanket they used to take her downstairs. With Juan at his side, Chadwick said he was forced to drive all through the night with his wife's body in the back of his SUV. I've been driving with him.

I think they might be going to Mexico or somewhere. I want you to get him. Chadwick says that's how they ended up here, at this border town gas station, where they met up with another man named Chi. And they took the body out of Chadwick's car, put it in a truck, and took it to Mexico. Chadwick says Juan and Chi drove away, leaving him alone with his vehicle in this dreary parking lot. put it in a truck, and took it to Mexico. Chadwick says Juan and Chi drove away, leaving him alone with his vehicle in this dreary parking lot.

That's when Peter made his 911 call. Okay, and where is she now? They have her body. They said they're going to cut her up. What color car did Juan leave in? What, what, what? What color car did Juan leave in? Dark green. Dark green. Like a pickup van van but covered. What do you call it?

And Chevy, Chevy. Within a few minutes, police arrived and took him to the station. Lieutenant Brian Moore says his detectives found holes in Chadwick's story. Any signs of Juan at all? No. Chadwick told 911 that QC was killed at about 11 o'clock the previous morning. But surveillance footage shows Chadwick's SUV leaving his gated community in Newport Beach about two and a half hours after that. Police say there's no Juan in the vehicle.

And later, Chadwick's at a toll. Again, no sign of Juan. Everyone we talked to and described this Juan individual, no one had any idea who that was or could give us any information related to this person. What about Chi? No. Some of the video surveillance we picked up in the area where Peter said he met this Chi person, there was no other vehicles involved that we could see. What's more, Chadwick's own body had some incriminating injuries. He had scratches on his neck and arms.

He had a bite mark on his forearm. Did he try to explain that as these came from Juan? He explained some sort of a struggle between him and Juan, but there was never any specifics on how he obtained those injuries. And then there was this, a packed suitcase in Chadwick's car. We had a suitcase, all male clothing inside inside that was just kind of thrown in there, as if somebody kind of packed hastily. I'm sorry, there was a bag in the car of men's clothes?

What kind of kidnapper says, hey, go ahead and pack yourself an overnight bag? Which is part of the problem. That's not normally the thing that happens, no. That's not normally the thing that happens, no. QC's friend Karen says nothing Peter said made any sense. When you first heard that story, did you buy it? Absolutely not. I don't even think the 911 operator bought it.

If you've heard the tape, her reaction is, mm-hmm, really? Mm-hmm. Okay, what? Are you on any kind of medication, sir? Not that heavy one. Okay, but this happened yesterday at 11. You're now calling us at 530 in the morning. Detectives weren't buying any of it either. During the initial contact, Peter was kind of all over the map. His story was very disjointed. He'd go through the range of emotions, crying, however, the officer never saw a tear, to moments of anxiety and just complete quiet. So he went from great displays of being distraught to nothing.

And the most interesting thing was during the entire contact with law enforcement and with our detectives, he never once asked about his kids. He never asked about the boys? No. And we're talking he hasn't seen them since the morning prior when he dropped them off for school. What did that say to you? To me, it means that he's more concerned with his story creating an alibi.

Than he is about his own sons. It appeared so, yes. People's first feeling was that there had been a takeover robbery, and they had both been kidnapped, and I don't even know if there was speculation in the media about that, but I never for a moment thought that it happened. I somehow knew he had killed her. Hear more of Peter Chadwick's bizarre 911 call on Facebook at 48 Hours.

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And listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad free right now. I remember calling and I said, he's killed her, hasn't he? I can't tell you why I knew. My friend said, are you okay? Are you at work? And I said, I am, but I'm going home now. The friend said, are you okay? Are you at work? And I said, I am, but I'm going home now. On October 11, 2012, just six hours after that 911 call, Peter Chadwick was arrested for murder. He wasn't defensive, angry, sad, emotional in any way,

as if somebody that was being placed under arrest that was innocent would have acted. Almost like he wasn't surprised that we were putting handcuffs on him. Chadwick quickly lawyered up and stopped talking to detectives. The community was shocked. Just unthinkable that he would do that, that someone would do that, that she would be gone. Karen Thorpe could only guess what led to her friend's murder. I think over time, knowing QC, it seemed that she wanted to become more independent, and she would start doing more things for herself. independent and she would start doing more things for herself. And I wondered then if maybe some of her reservations and insecurity were because of Peter. Why do you think she didn't confide in you?

I think she was very proud and I think everyone was shocked. Brian Moore believes QC had uncovered a dark side of her husband. Brian Moore believes QC had uncovered a dark side of her husband. Probably the most telling things that we discovered was a handwritten piece of paper that had Peter's computer search history on it. It looked like it was written out by QC. And what did that say? How to torture, Chinese sex massage, abortion costs in Orange County. These were all in his search history? Yes.

So as we dug into it further, we started to get the real account that there was some turmoil in their marriage. There was some talk of divorce. He visited prostitutes? Based on his search history, we have to assume so. This isn't that happy Newport Beach family that it appeared to be from the outside. Absolutely not. In court, Peter Chadwick pleaded not guilty.

His two sons, who had lived at home, were now with their mother's brother more than 50 miles away in the Los Angeles area. Their mother was missing and presumably dead. Did the boys have any idea about what happened to their mother, what their dad was doing? None whatsoever. Then, seven days after Peter Chadwick called 911, detectives got another big break. This time, a tip they say they can't discuss. That led them to a location in the mountains, more than 100 miles from Newport Beach. This is remote. It's extremely remote, kind of south San Diego County, in the middle of nowhere. So where are we headed?

So we're going to crime scene number two. So where are we headed? So we're going to crime scene number two. Detectives found themselves on this barren mountainside in rural San Diego County, Wildcat Canyon. They believe Peter Chadwick came here that night. What do you think he's thinking as he's driving up this road? If you kind of put yourself in his position, he's been driving around for hours, over 10 hours, with QC's body in the car. He needs to find a place to drop the body. He needs to find a place to drop the body

where he's not gonna be seen, or it's dark and it's not gonna be seen anytime soon after he drops it. The first place he comes to is this little road. Yeah, it's right here. That's it? That's it. So this is where he stopped. We were not sure if we were ever going to find her. The chances were slim to none. When we lifted up, it was full. So what did you see? We started finding

QC's items. We found nice bags. We found a really nice purse. So we set those aside. When we opened up the bag, that's when we found QC's ID, her permanent residency card, $10,000 cash. And all of this stuff is the stuff that he described Juan taking with QC's body into Mexico. And wrapped in that green blanket, QC's body. It was a huge break for us. The dumpster was scheduled to be picked up the Thursday morning, which was the next morning after we believe Peter disposed of QC's body. The issue with that was there was some kind of billing dispute. So they were supposed to pick up the dumpster, but they didn't. Once detectives finally found QC, the medical examiner was able to determine how she died.

There was a pretty violent struggle, which resulted in strangulation and possible drowning. As the state built its case against Peter Chadwick, he sat in jail. That is, for two months. Until December, when bail was set at $1 million. No sweat for the multi-millionaire businessman. I heard he got out on bail, and I remember being absolutely infuriated and disgusted. He should not be out on bail. Prosecutor Matt Murphy says the court really had no choice.

Chadwick was entitled to bail. We had a guy that had no criminal background. He had roots in the community. Chadwick also had that multimillion-dollar home and three sons. And he surrendered his U.S. and U.K. passports. We can keep him on a short leash. We can keep him engaged in the process. We can keep eyes on him. Peter came back and got her van, which was really creepy. He returned to get her van because his car was impounded.

So he drove off with her van, and I just happened to be out in the street, and he gave me a nod, and I just turned my head in disgust. Even before Chadwick could face trial, Karen's mind was made up. He was shameless. Talk about chutzpah. He sent out an email inviting people to a 100-day vigil, candlelight vigil, at the home where he murdered her. How can you kill your wife, throw her in a dumpster, and hold a candlelight vigil at the home where you killed her?

candlelight vigil at the home where you killed her. Two years passed. Chadwick moved into his father's home in Santa Barbara, a swanky town up the coast. All three sons ended up in boarding school. How solid did you think your case was as you headed for trial? Extremely solid. I mean, with all the circumstantial evidence, the body, the injuries, and the lack of plausibility on behalf of Peter's story. So overall, we thought we had this thing

wrapped up. So as you're looking down the road, you're thinking Peter Chadwick is going to end up where? In prison. But Peter Chadwick had other plans. Breaking news to tell you about an accused murderer on the run from California. Peter Chadwick was awaiting trial and making his court appearances for hearings, doing what he was supposed to do until he wasn't anymore. Yeah, we got word from his attorney that said, I don't know where he is. After two years out on bail, Peter Chadwick disappeared. This is one of the most wanted suspects in the entire United States. What do you mean he's gone?

You know, didn't somebody keep an eye on this guy? Prosecutor Matt Murphy was outraged. Nobody thought that he would flee from his sons. He abandoned his family. He made his attorney look terrible. And he thumbed his nose at the court and the justice system. Is part of this just that rich guys can get away with an awful lot? You know, it's just, it's frustrating. You shouldn't be able to take advantage of the system because you have money. And, you know, that's what happened here. Most people can't afford this bail. You shouldn't be able to do this because you got money. He took full

advantage and he used his financial resources to do it. A million dollars bail really wasn't enough to keep someone as cold-hearted and narcissistic as him to stay around. At first, investigators heard that Peter Chadwick might be dead. Initially, Michael Chadwick started relaying information that he was suicidal. So Michael Chadwick, Peter's dad, said he was going to kill himself, that Peter was going to kill himself. He alluded to the fact that he was suicidal. I don't know if it was his attorney or his father had said he had been despondent and suicidal. No.

By the time investigators realized that he'd flown the coop, Chadwick was long gone. He had a three-week lead on them, and he'd been studying up. They discovered books in Chadwick's home on how to disappear and how to change identities and leave false trails. Investigators learned from a taxi company that someone, who police now believe was Peter Chadwick, took a cab from his dad's house to this airport here in Santa Barbara. And get this, the cab driver says that the person he picked up that day was a woman. So was Peter Chadwick in disguise? a woman. So was Peter Chadwick in disguise? When he got here, he went inside with his suitcase. And then he must have changed clothes because surveillance cameras have pictures of Chadwick dressed as himself hanging out at the Santa Barbara airport. Hours ticked

by, but he never got on a plane. Instead, he went back outside, got into another cab, and drove away. And that's the last anyone here saw of Peter Chadwick. The search for Chadwick was now an international manhunt. With the U.S. Marshals leading the way. Here they are training in the mountains above Los Angeles. We're going to catch him. Marshal Craig McCluskey led the team that would track Chadwick.

He's going to make a mistake. We're going to choke him off and grab him. Not only did Chadwick have a head start, his life on the run would be well-financed. What makes him so difficult to find is the fact that he fled with a decent amount of money. So it was about a million dollars that he had in cash when he left? Approximately a million dollars, yes. Do you feel like he slipped through your fingers? Yeah, I honestly wish we could have wrapped this case up a lot sooner. He got the better of us at this point.

Once you find a string, you've got to start pulling on it. And we found a couple strings. Before the final tip that led investigators to Mexico, tips had come from everywhere. The countries that we've had active leads in that we've pursued include Japan, they include Canada, Belize, Panama, the Ukraine. McCluskey was convinced Chadwick was getting help while on the lam. I didn't think this case was going to turn into what it did. But I think one reason that it did is not because Peter's smart. It's not because he was savvy.

It's not because he outsmarted us. It's because he's getting help. And I think once we cut him off from his source of help, that he's going to make a mistake and we're going to catch him. Karen Thorpe had always hoped whoever was helping Peter Chadwick might have a change of heart. Someone needs to come forward, someone with a conscience, someone who cares about those kids

and who cares about what has happened to this lovely woman, this lovely devoted mother, who has no justice. Justice would be in reach when the manhunt ended south of the border. But wait till you hear what Chadwick was doing while on the lam. He went from a real estate millionaire to bussing tables. Right, I think he was just desperate to fit in and stay on the run. He was willing to do anything to sustain his flight.

fit in and stay on the run. He was willing to do anything to sustain his flight. All right, good to go. Learn more about Peter Chadwick's life on the run in Mexico at 48hours.com. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. The scary cult classic was set in the Chicago housing project. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. Candyman. Candyman? Now we all know chanting a name won't make a killer magically appear, but did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was.

We're going to talk to the people who were there, and we're also going to uncover the larger story. My architect was shocked when he saw how this was created. Literally shocked. And we'll look at what the story tells us about injustice in America. If you really believed in tough on crime, then you wouldn't make it easy to crawl into medicine cabinets and kill our women. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder,

wherever you get your podcasts. After almost five years, basically overnight, everything changed. August 4th, 2019, 48 Hours learned of a new dramatic development in the Peter Chadwick investigation. 48 Hours had the only news crew on the scene when Peter Chadwick landed in Los Angeles yesterday. He disappeared in 2015 after being charged with killing his wife. In handcuffs and shackles, authorities had their man, and Newport Beach Police Chief John Lewis made the official announcement. After receiving hundreds and hundreds of tips from all over the world,

one of them led us to our suspect. The chief would not go into detail about what that tip was. Chadwick was picked up by Mexican federal police near the city of Puebla, south of Mexico City. I believe he was surprised. I don't think he expected to be arrested. Marshal Craig McCluskey was at the airport in Los Angeles when Chadwick arrived, and he slapped the cuffs on him. What's the first thing you said to him? Peter, my name is Craig McCluskey from the U.S. Marshals.

I'm placing you into the custody of the United States Marshal Service. I think he had recognized me from the initial 48 Hours episode that aired. He watched the 48 Hours episode? I believe he did. He's going to make a mistake. We're going to choke him off and grab him. Our 48 Hours report on the hunt for Peter Chadwick

aired in May 2019. And he recognized you from the 48 Hours? Well, because the first question he asked me looked me right in the face and he asked me, how's Ben?

And Ben's his oldest son. I guess he assumed that I had some contact with his family. He said when he saw that episode, he realized that his situation had escalated a lot because he didn't realize the U.S. Marshals were after him at that point. So he was watching us watching him? In essence, yes. And he knew, he knew how many people were after him. He'd seen the coverage. He really became stressed out.

That was an incredible weight, yeah. I mean, looking over your shoulder every day. Details are still murky about where Chadwick spent all his years on the run. But when he was picked up in Mexico, he was living in this apartment. Peter was in a small village outside of Puebla, Mexico, about two hours north of the Guatemalan border and about an hour and a half south of Mexico City. The makeup of that town was mostly Caucasian, but also Asian community as well. His hideout was next to a country club.

Had tennis courts, and of course, Peter preferred playing tennis. So he continued to play tennis? Yes. Did he change his appearance? He changed his appearance slightly. So his hair was a little darker. He had some facial hair, so he had a goatee. He tried to make himself a little younger, and I think he was successful in that. I mean, his face looked a little different.

A little nip and tuck in Mexico. Possibly. I don't know for sure. Chadwick apparently used many fake IDs and aliases, including Paul Cook, Paul Craig, and John Franklin. He even had an ID card that it was a copy of some fictional security force, and he was representing himself as some type of analyst with top-secret access with his photo on it. What do you think he used that for? Maybe to get some unassuming local police officers off his back.

It's essentially a toy ID saying, hey, I'm a secret agent. Correct. But strangely, Chadwick never got a fake passport, and that may have forced him into some lifestyle changes. He'd started off his escape staying in nice hotels. And he stayed in some fancy hotels at the beginning? He did stay in hotels. I think he started to change his pattern when Mexico started changing some of their immigration laws

where they required visas for non-citizens when they checked into hotels, which forced him into more discreet places like hostels that would accept cash and no identification. And then there was money. Even though authorities figure he had about a million dollars in cash when he fled, he occupied his days picking up odd jobs. What was he doing for money? He did flee with a large sum of money. Most of it he lived off of that, but I think he did some small things on the side,

maybe taught conversational English or something like that to children to make a few extra bucks. I think he was bussing tables, working in kitchens. But he went from a real estate millionaire to bussing tables? Right. I think he was just desperate to fit in and stay on the run. He was willing to do anything to sustain his flight. One of the biggest investigative breaks that led the Marshals to Chadwick was their discovery that he was in communication with people who knew him. We learned that he was receiving help from those close to him.

To what extent, I don't know. And the quantities of money that were provided to him, I don't know exactly. But we know that he was getting some assistance from those close to him back up here still. That information, combined with the new tip and old-fashioned police work by Newport Beach police, the marshals, and Mexican authorities, ultimately led to Chadwick's arrest. The bizarre thing is that this took, you know, nearly five years to unfold, and then boom, it happened overnight. Yeah. That's entirely due to the relationship we had with the Mexican authorities. Their response to intelligence that was gathered and their own intelligence gathering techniques, I mean, that's really what paid off. At this point, authorities are not saying if they'll charge anyone else in connection with Chadwick's escape.

Meantime, they're savoring their victory. Chief Lewis says he always knew Chadwick's days were numbered. Did you ever for a moment think he's gone forever? Not for a minute. I believe in our investigators. I believe in our process. I believe in the heart of this police department towards solving these cases. And so in my mind, it was just a matter of time before we got him. It wasn't going to be a if, it was a when. Did he seem at all relieved? He did, at the end a little bit. He said something along the lines of,

it was getting hard to keep up with the lies. Police say he was captured in Mexico. For Karen Thorpe, QC's close friend, Chadwick's capture brings mixed emotion. mixed emotion. What's it like to see that? I'm angry. I'm repulsed. I want to make him know the pain that everybody else suffered. One of the things that we heard was that he was at a resort in Mexico. What do you think of that? Outrageous. Somebody who could do this to her and then live the high life is just a testament to his coldness and his depravity. And that coldness, investigators say, extended to Chadwick's willingness to abandon his three sons forever. Our investigation shows that Peter Chadwick never intended to return from Mexico. He had no intentions of coming back to Orange County to face trial

or to raise the three sons that he had abandoned. Speaking of the boys, our hearts go out to them. We'd ask that everyone respect their privacy during this incredibly emotional time. We don't know how the Chadwick boys have reacted to their father's capture, but we do know that in recent months, Karen Thorpe told us they've been doing well. Do you have a sense of how the boys are doing? They're really, really strong, really, really supported by QC's family.

There's so much love around them and so much love for them. They've really, they've continued to flourish in spite of this tragedy. And that is a fitting tribute to a dedicated mom whose life was cut so short. whose life was cut so short. We lost in QC a mother who cared for her children deeply and who loved life and loved vibrancy and loved to give her children all that she possibly could. a young woman waiting for her wedding day her fiancee gunned down someone had a vendetta against patrick did police uncover a plan for murder? This wasn't a random killing.

It was an assassination. 48 Hours, Saturday on CBS.