A Huntington Beach man jailed in connection with a violent attempted burglary over the weekend was booked Thursday, April 25, in the unrelated killings of a former pro hockey player and a local activist whose bodies were discovered in a Newport Beach home.
Jamon Rayon Buggs, 44, was already in custody in Orange County jail on the attempted burglary charges when Newport Beach police booked him in the slayings of Wendi Miller, 48, of Costa Mesa, and Darren Partch, 38, of Newport Beach.
Bail was set at $1 million for Buggs, a former Perris resident arrested Monday by Irvine police in connection with the attempted burglaries there.
The two victims were found dead Sunday in Partch’s residence in the 2100 block of East 15th Street by his roommate. Investigators said they found no signs of forced entry into the home.
Authorities have not explained what, if any, relationship existed between the suspect and the victims. Newport Beach police provided no new information Thursday on the circumstances of the homicide, such as whether they believe Buggs was burglarizing Partch’s home. The Coroner’s Office has not disclosed how Miller and Partch were killed.
Newport Beach police said they will seek two murder charges against Buggs.
Buggs is a personal trainer whose Facebook profile says he recently worked at Equinox Huntington Beach, a luxury fitness club on Pacific Coast Highway. No one there was available Thursday to comment on Buggs. His profile also said he attended San Pasqual High in Escondido.
“In 2019, my goal is to build a stronger relationship with God. Everything else will fall into place,” said Buggs’ most recent public Facebook post.
A 2017 Twitter message by FitPro Protein described Buggs as an OptimalBody Personal Fitness “amazing director of trainers” and included a video of Buggs working out.
https://twitter.com/fitpro_protein/status/848625362590285824
In the Irvine case, Buggs was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, shooting into an inhabited dwelling, possession of a firearm by a felon, hit-and-run driving and evading police after a series of attempted break-ins. In the first, about 11:35 p.m. Saturday, Buggs fired at a resident who had made eye contact with him, Irvine police said.
In 1996, Buggs pleaded guilty to felony charges of vandalism and possession of a firearm, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said. He also was convicted of misdemeanor charges of taking property and brandishing a firearm, she said.
Friends who had reported Miller missing said on social media that she was last seen leaving the Sandpiper Lounge in Laguna Beach late Friday, April 19, and was giving a man a ride home.
Miller was the CEO of Wings for Justice, a nonprofit advocacy group focused on issues affecting children in the family court system. She specialized in treating victims of domestic violence and abuse.
Ann McGuire, Miller’s partner at Wings for Justice, said Miller had recently spoken about domestic violence at a conference at UC Irvine.
Maguire said Miller told her several times that her work was dangerous. She feared retribution from the people who supported the court system who took sides — too often, the wrong side, Miller believed — in cases where parents alleged abuse.
“When anger goes unchecked,” Maguire said, “it grows.”
Maguire said Miller also was careful about men.
“She didn’t date,” Maguire said. “She never slept around. I think she was simply giving a man a ride home.”
Miller went to Cerritos High School and participated in several youth groups at New Life Community Church in Norwalk.
Partch was a former minor-league hockey player whose 13-year career ended in the 2005-06 season with the San Diego Gulls of the ECHL. He was recently working for Advanced Financial Services in Irvine.
Staff writers Keith Sharon contributed to this report.
