Girlfriend Says Newport Man Admitted He Killed His Rich Wife

A Newport Beach man capped a night of partying with his girlfriend last year with a startling bedroom admission: He killed his millionaire wife and tossed her body into the ocean, the former girlfriend told an Orange County jury Tuesday.

Model and actress Tina New told jurors that she and boyfriend Eric Bechler were lounging in bed when he admitted killing his wife in 1997 and making up a story about her falling into the Pacific Ocean.

“I said he needed to be honest with me,” New testified. “Out of the blue, I said, ‘You hit her,’ and he was like, ‘How do you know that?’ And that started the conversation.”

New’s testimony is a key aspect of the prosecution’s case against Bechler, accused of killing his wife, Pegye, to get millions of dollars in savings and life insurance.

In his opening statement, defense attorney John Barnett told jurors that Bechler, 33, concocted the story about the killing to please New’s craving for “bad boys.” Until that point, he had insisted his wife was the victim of a tragic boating accident.

Jurors spent several hours Tuesday listening to secretly recorded tapes in which Bechler discussed his wife’s death with New. In a telephone conversation, New accused Bechler of killing his wife during a boating trip.

“Don’t talk about that on the phone,” Bechler replied. “It’s not smart.”

Jurors also listened to the couple discuss the killing while eating dinner at a restaurant in October 1999. New, who was secretly cooperating with Sheriff’s Department investigators, recorded the dinner conversation with a hidden wire.

Asked why he killed his wife, Bechler replied, “Partly for the kids, partly for the money.”

New told the jury that Bechler’s bedroom confession, not captured on tape, included graphic details about the killing. Bechler said he planned the killing days in advance, renting a boat July 6, 1997, for a surprise, New said.

When the couple were about 12 miles out to sea, he clubbed her over the head with a weight, then stuffed her body in a bag along with 70 pounds of weights and dropped her overboard, New testified.

Bechler said he then drove the boat to within four miles of the shore, jumped in the water and pretended his wife fell in the ocean while towing him on a body board, New said.

U.S. Coast Guard rescuers searched frantically for Pegye Bechler, but were unable to find her. The disappearance drew suspicion from investigators, in part because Pegye Bechler was a triathlete and skilled swimmer.

Defense attorney Barnett is expected to begin cross-examination today.

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Times correspondent Louise Roug contributed to this report.