Bechler pleads innocent

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- A lingering question that has weighed on the minds of

many about the mysterious disappearance and alleged murder of a Newport

Beach woman may have been answered Friday when a police report was

unsealed.

The report briefly states that 32-year-old Eric Bechler used a dumbbell

to kill his wife, Pegye, during a boating trip two years ago off the

Newport coast, then anchored her body with something heavy and dumped it

overboard.

The new revelation came moments after Bechler pleaded innocent to the

charge he killed his wife for financial gain at his arraignment Friday in

a Harbor Justice Center courtroom.

In a quick turnaround, Bechler’s attorney, John Yzurdiaga, asked the

judge to schedule his client’s preliminary hearing for Dec. 17. Orange

County Superior Court Judge Craig Robison approved the defense’s request

for a speedy trial, which could take place as early as February.

Laurie Levenson, a professor of criminal law at Loyola Marymount

University, said the unusual move may be an attempt to catch the

prosecution off guard.

“If the prosecution doesn’t have all of the evidence ready at trial, the

defense might want to go before they are ready,” she said. “The second

possibility is the defendant is not guilty and he wants to be released

soon as possible. The normal strategy is to take your time and not be so

eager.”

The routine court procedure required for all accused criminals turned

interesting as soon as Bechler entered the courtroom. Clean-cut and well

groomed, Bechler smiled at his mother, Linda, who was sitting in the

audience. His eyes shifted around the courtroom, attempting to avoid the

throng of television cameras assembled across the room.

After entering his plea, Robison approved a request by the Los Angeles

Times to unseal the police report. Neither attorney contested the motion.

Only one page branded with the words “confidential” was released. Orange

County Sheriff’s investigators said they received new information

regarding Pegye Bechler’s death the same night Eric Bechler was secretly

recorded by his girlfriend at a Mexican restaurant.

Bechler reportedly made incriminating statements on the tape, a piece of

evidence that may be presented at the next court hearing.

The report further states Pegye was lying on the boat when her husband

hit her with a dumbbell during a trip on July 6, 1997, the couple’s

wedding anniversary.

Bechler has never wavered from his account of what happened. He claims he

was on a body board behind a rented speedboat when a wave pitched him

under water. When he surfaced, he claims his wife had disappeared. He

thinks she may have hit her head on the side of the boat.

Some people were suspicious of Bechler’s story from the outset because

his wife was a triathlete and accomplished swimmer. Also working against

Bechler was a Coast Guard report that stated Pegye probably had not been

pitched overboard, given the boat’s mechanics.

Her body was never found despite lengthy searches, one of which included

the use of a submarine.

Prosecutors believe Bechler murdered his wife for financial gain, a

charge that could warrant the death penalty.

The couple were having financial problems months prior to Pegye’s

disappearance. The sale of her physical therapy business, where Bechler

also worked, fell through and the couple received only about 25% of the

estimated $1.2 million they were to receive from a Costa Mesa-based

company.

Bechler allegedly was after a multimillion-dollar insurance policy he

took out in his wife’s name. However, Pegye also took out a policy in her

husband’s name, reportedly for the same amount.

Very few details have been released by authorities about the case, but

the salacious nature of the alleged crime has drawn the attention of the

national media corps.

Officials from the Orange County District Attorney’s office said they

have been contacted by People Magazine and The National Inquirer, seeking

information. As has been the case with every other media organization,

the office has refused to release any evidence.