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Suspect Charged After Ex-Hockey Player And Children's Advocate Found Murdered
Jamon Rayon Buggs, already in jail on suspicion of home burglary attempts, has been charged in connection with the Easter slayings of Darren Donald Partch and Wendi Sue Miller.
An alleged home burglar has been arrested in connection with the double murder of a former professional hockey player and a woman who runs a nonprofit in California.
Darren Donald Partch, 38 and 48-year-old Wendi Sue Miller of Costa Mesa were found dead inside Partch’s Newport Beach condo on Sunday night.
Jamon Rayon Buggs, 44, was charged with both their murders on Thursday. The Huntington Beach man was already in custody in connection with unrelated charges, the Newport Beach Police Department wrote in a press release. Those charges appear to stem from alleged burglary attempts that also occurred over the weekend, according to KTLA 5. In one of the break-ins, the suspect allegedly fired off a gun before fleeing.
Buggs is currently being held on a $1 million dollar bail for the killings. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf at this time. He reportedly identifies himself as a fitness instructor and has a lengthy criminal history that includes felony vandalism and possession of a firearm by a felon convictions in 1996.
The victims were last seen alive at the Sandpiper Bar in Laguna Beach at around 1:45 a.m. Saturday. Partch said he’d give Miller a ride home.
They were reportedly shot to death.
Miller was a mother of two who ran a nonprofit advocacy group called Wings for Justice, developed to help children in the family court system, the Associated Press reports. She wrote two books, according to NBC Los Angeles.
She “devoted herself to the healing and edification of children, adults, and families” and “she specialized in treating victims of domestic violence and abuse,” according to the Wings for Justice website.
Partch was a former minor league hockey player who played for the San Diego Gulls in 2005 and 2006. He more recently worked as an account executive.
Anyone with information regarding this case or with information on the recent activities and whereabouts of Buggs prior to his arrest is urged to contact Newport Beach Police Department Det. Rick Henry at 949-644-3797.
