A Huntington Beach man was charged Wednesday in connection to the deaths of two women found in Newport Beach this week.
Christopher Ken Ireland, 37, is charged with two felony counts of murder with special circumstances for multiple murders, one felony count of arson of an inhabited property, and one felony count of aggravated mayhem.
Ireland is accused of killing two women, starting a fire at Westminster home to destroy evidence, and then disposing of the bodies in Newport Beach.
The bodies of Yolanda Holtrey, 59, of Westminster, and Michelle Luke, 49, of Huntington Beach, were found early Monday in a “wilderness area” in Newport Beach, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner’s Office.
Ireland is scheduled for a continued arraignment on Jan. 20. He is being held without bail.
