'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The bodies of California mom and criminal justice advocate Wendi Miller and ex-pro hockey player Darren Partch were found in the latter's Newport Beach condo by his roommate in April 2019. Miller, 48, had been missing for over a day when her body was found and was last seen leaving a Laguna Beach Bar with 38-year-old Partch. Both victims were fatally shot in the head.
An Orange County personal trainer and convicted felon, 44-year-old Jamon Buggs was identified as a possible suspect in the double homicide. Buggs was already in custody on unrelated burglary charges. He allegedly killed the pair in a fit of jealousy after mistaking Miller to be his ex-girlfriend and had previously threatened Partch twice, believing he was involved with his ex.
An upcoming episode of The Real Murders of Organge County is slated to delve into the double murders of Wendi Miller and Darren Partch this Friday. The episode titled Wrong Place, Wrong Time will air on the channel at 9:00 pm ET on June 9, 2023.
Here's a look at the synopsis:
"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 was last seen leaving a Laguna Beach bar with Darren Partch after she offered to drive him home
Wendi Miller, a psychologist and mother of two, was also the founder of a non-profit organization called Wings of Justice which advocates for the protection of children in the family court system. Meanwhile, Darren Partch was an ex-hockey player who had participated in several minor league teams for years before he started working as a finance and credit consultant.
Both Miller, 48, and Partch, 38, were last seen leaving the Sandpiper Bar in Laguna Beach sometime around 1:45 in the early morning hours of April 20, 2019. The former was giving the Partch a ride to his upscale Newport Beach condo that he shared with a roommate. Miller was never seen after that, which led to her family initiating a search for the mother.
Partch's roommate reportedly found their bodies in the condo both men shared the following night and immediately made a distressing 911 call, reporting the double homicide. He failed to recognize Miller, who was later identified by the Orange County coroner. Both had been shot in the head. Moreover, at the crime scene, detectives failed to notice any signs of forced entry.
According to People Magazine, Newport Beach resident James Kwast, who had seen leaving the pair from the bar that night stated that "they hit it off" and supposedly "had a great time down in Laguna Beach." Kwast further said,
"He needed a ride home. She was known for giving people rides home whenever they needed it."
Jamon Buggs was convicted of shooting Wendi Miller and Darren Partch after mistaking the former as his ex
Within days, a man named Jamon Buggs, who was already in custody at the Orange County Jail on unrelated burglary charges, was identified as a suspect in the double murders of Wendi Miller and Darren Partch. His record showed that he is a convicted felon.
An investigation revealed that Buggs, a personal trainer, had previously threatened Partch on two occasions, asking him to stay away from his former girlfriend, after believing that the 38-year-old was involved in a relationship with his ex. Partch, who did not have a relationship with the woman in question, had nonetheless agreed to stay away.
However, in a mistaken identity case, Buggs thought Miller, who had no prior connection to him, was his ex-girlfriend and shot the pair in a fit of jealousy. Evidence confirmed that in the weeks leading up to the double murders, the suspect had conducted online searches on Partch. Moreover, his cellphone data even placed him at his residence on the night of the killings.
In May 2022, Jamon Buggs was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder among other charges, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Learn more about the Newport Beach double murders of Wendi Miller and Darren Partch on Oxygen's The Real Murders of Orange County.
