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Wendi Miller and Darren Partch were found fatally shot in the latter's Newport Beach apartment by his roommate. Both victims had been shot in the head. The roommate failed to recognize Miller, who was later identified as a single mother and the CEO of a non-profit organization called Wings of Justice. Partch was a former minor league hockey player.
A Huntington Beach personal trainer and ex-convict, Jamon Buggs, who was arrested in the days following the double murders on unrelated burglary and firearms charges, was then linked to Miller and Partch's shooting deaths using the murder weapon he owned, which matched the bullets fired at the pair. He was later found guilty on several charges and handed two consecutive life sentences.
This Friday, an all-new episode on The Real Murders of Orange County will take a dive into Wendi Miller and Darren Partch's double homicide. The episode, titled Wrong Place, Wrong Time, airs on Oxygen at 9:00 pm ET on June 9.
The synopsis reads:
"When a hockey player and a single mom are found dead in an upscale Newport Beach, Calif., condo, loved ones have no idea how they knew each other; the discovery of a link to another area attack launches the race to catch a killer."
Wendi Miller and Darren Partch murders: Five key details to know about the Newport Beach double homicide
1) The bodies of Miller and Partch were found by the latter's roommate
Darren Partch resided in an upscale Newport Beach condo and shared his place with a roommate, who was the first to stumble upon the crime scene. The roommate reportedly found the bodies of Wendi Miller and Partch sometime after 9:00 in the night hours of April 22, 2019. He immediately called 911 and reported the possible double homicide, claiming that he could not recognize the woman. Both were shot execution-style.
2) Both victims were last seen leaving a Laguna Beach bar
According a witness, Wendi Miller and Darren Partch were last spotted leaving the Sandpiper Bar on Laguna Beach together in the early morning hours on April 21. The pair had met at the establishment, hit it off, and had a great time down in Laguna Beach. Miller then offered to drop Partch home because "he needed a ride home" and "she was known for giving people rides home whenever they needed it."
One of Miller's friends later reported that they both had "made it safely" to the former hockey player's house on the 2100 block of East 15th Street in Newport Beach. She even texted the friend asking if they reached "home OK?" The friend said she was "checking in but she didn’t say where she was and she wasn’t home."
3) A personal trainer, Jamon Buggs, arrested on unrelated charges, was linked to the crime
An ex-convict-turned-personal trainer from Huntington Beach, Jamon Buggs, was arrested for attempting to break into the home of a chiropractor he thought was having an affair with his ex-girlfriend less than 24 hours after Wendi Miller and Darren Partch's killings. The following night, he was arrested after a high-speed chase with police. The weapon found in his possession matched the bullets used to shoot both victims. DNA linked Bugs to the bullets and the firearm.
4) Buggs had previously threatened Darren Partch for being involved with his ex
Investigation revealed that in the months leading up to Partch and Miller' murders, Buggs had conducted an extensive search on the former hockey player's personal life, including searching for his phone number, addresses to his previous and current homes, and photographs. The trainer had also threatened the deceased on two separate occasions after assuming he was involved with an ex. His cell phone data was able to place him at the crime scene on the night of the shootings.
5) Jamon Buggs shot Wendi Miller and Darren Partch after mistaking the former to be his ex
Prosecutors alleged Buggs mistook Miller for the ex-girlfriend he was obsessing over and possessive about. Seeing them together that night after having suspected Partch's involvement with the woman put him in a fit of jealousy, and he fatally shot them in the Newport Beach condo. Buggs was found guilty of the double homicide on multiple charges and was handed two consecutive life sentences without parole.
Wendi Miller and Darren Partch's double murders is set to air on Oxygen's The Real Murders of Orange County this Friday at 9 pm ET.
