48-year-old Newport Beach man found dead with signs of trauma, acquaintance arrested

Newport Beach police on Monday arrested a Chino Hills man on suspicion of murder, after officers conducting a welfare check at a Park Newport residence Friday discovered a deceased adult male with signs of trauma at the property.

Officers were called to a home on the 1200 block of Park Newport at 6:38 p.m. on Friday, when they discovered the decedent and initiated an investigation, the Newport Beach Police Department said in a news release issued Monday.

Detectives were led to Brandon Christian Chanman, 35, whom they contacted and subsequently arrested. Chanman is believed to be an acquaintance of the victim, identified by the Orange County coroner’s office Monday as Reginald Hidalgo Fils, 48, of Newport Beach, according to sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Matthew Parrish.

Orange County prosecutors have charged Chanman with murder, along with a felony enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon, a charge that could add one year to any sentence he may receive. He was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for an arraignment hearing, court records indicate.

Police report no other suspects are being sought in the investigation and say there is no ongoing threat to the community.

Anyone who might have information on the incident is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Jason Prince at (949) 644-3764 or [email protected].