Gruesome Details Released On New Year's Day Double Murder: Bodies Found In Newport Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — On New Year's Day, a party turned deadly in Westminster, California. Two women were murdered inside an area residence, the scene of the crime set ablaze and the victims removed from the residence and discarded in a Newport Beach field.

The man accused of the gruesome crime was arraigned on Friday, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.

Christopher Ken Ireland, a 37-year-old resident of Huntington Beach was charged with two felony counts of special circumstances murder on January 4. If convicted, Ireland faces a minimum sentence of life in state prison without parole, said Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff for the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

New Year's Murder In Westminster [Warning, details might be disturbing to some readers]

"In the early morning hours of Jan. 1, Ireland is accused of attending a New Year’s Eve party at 59-year-old Yolanda Holtrey’s home in Westminster," Kang Schroeder said.

At just before 1:30 a.m., with his family waiting outside, the defendant is accused of murdering both Holtrey and her friend, 49-year-old Michelle Luke, inside the home by striking them each multiple times with a sharp instrument according to OCDA.

There is no word as of yet regarding motive for the attack, or if Ireland's family members had any knowledge of the crimes.

"Ireland is accused of disfiguring Luke’s ear during the attack," Kang Schroeder said. "The defendant is accused of leaving the victims’ bodies in the home and driving away from the scene."

Returning to the Scene of the Crime

At approximately 3 a.m., Ireland is accused of returning to the home and lining his vehicle’s trunk, Kang Schroeder said.

Holtrey and Luke’s bodies were dragged from the home to his trunk shortly before 4:30 a.m. according to reports.

Ireland is accused of moving the women's bodies and then using an accelerant to set fire to Holtrey’s home before driving away from the scene at approximately 5 a.m.

The women's bodies were transported from the home to a dead-end road in Newport Beach where they were discarded in a vacant lot.

"At approximately 5:30 a.m., neighbors called 911 to report the house fire," Kang Schroeder said. "First responders put out the fire and noticed blood on some furniture and the floor inside the home. Accelerants were also located, prompting Orange County Fire Authority arson investigators and Westminster Police Department (WPD) to investigate the suspicious circumstances. Officers were not able to locate the homeowner or Luke."

On the morning of Jan. 2, WPD found the victims’ bodies in the lot in Newport Beach. Ireland was arrested later that day by WPD, who investigated this case. Senior Deputy District Attorney Jim Mendelson of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.

"Ireland is being held without bail and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 16 at 8:30 a.m. in Department W-1, West Justice Center, Westminster," she said.

Westminster police, Photo of Christopher Ireland