Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘In a Lonely Place’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline,’ the primary focus is on the sudden disappearance and mysterious murder of a bright entrepreneur named Christopher “Chris” Ryan Smith in the summer of 2010. As the family became suspicious of his emails, the investigators dug deep into his personal and professional life, only to uncover some dark secrets and finally capture the perpetrator responsible for his killing. The documentary also features insightful interviews with Chris’ family members, colleagues, and the detectives linked to the investigation.
Chris Smith Was a Successful Entrepreneur
Christopher Ryan Smith was the son of Steve and Deborah Smith. Born on December 3, 1978, he was raised in a loving household alongside his younger brother, Paul Smith. Since their father was a law enforcement officer at the time, they grew up learning the significance of integrity, discipline, and analytical thinking. They were always told to trust their instincts. All of the teachings helped the two grow into responsible men. Chris was a free-spirited soul with an inquisitive mind who loved living life on his own terms. He enjoyed being outdoors and had a particular affinity for surfing. He loved riding the waves under the vast Californian skies, as it was where he felt the most alive and free. The community college graduate was building a career in the world of advertising, particularly in the lead generation industry.
It was in 2008, while working for the collection and sales of customer leads to other companies/businesses in Southern California, that his paths crossed with Edward Shin. Soon, the two realised that they would make a great team. In 2009, the duo ultimately launched their own company in Laguna Beach named 800XChange. The business quickly flourished and became quite successful. Things seemed to be looking up for the 31-year-old personally and professionally. He was also in a relationship with a woman named Erica. Chris was quite eager to start a life with her and had also introduced her to his family as “the one.” However, everything changed in the month of June 2010. All of a sudden, he ended things with Erica over text.
Chris Smith Was Determined to be Missing Before the News of His Death Broke Out
Not just that, Chris also sent an email to his family stating that he was set to spend his next three weeks on a sailing trip to the Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica. If that wasn’t enough, the email also notified his folks that he had given up his stake in the company. While everything seemed abrupt, given the work-related stress he was under and his adventurous nature, the family didn’t really find the contents of the emails suspicious. The point that they did find unusual was that he was in the company of a Playboy playmate. In a few weeks, they received another email from Chris, which mentioned a change in his Itinerary – he was prolonging his journey to explore more of South America and make his way to Africa.
Planning to head to Cyprus and Africa, Chris said that he was in Mumbai, India, in October 2010. In an email dated October 20, 2010, Chris expressed how much he missed his family but claimed that he still had a lot to do and see. He stated, “No credit cards or bank accounts, bro. I’m off the grid forever.” A couple of months later, the family received the final email from Chris, who told them that he was meeting with a dealer in Rwanda to sell his gold Krugerrands. When they didn’t hear from him for months, the Smith family reported him missing in April 2011. Later, the family received the devastating news that he had died on June 4, 2010, in his office. However, despite the best efforts of the investigators, his remains remain undiscovered.
The Killer Claimed Chris Smith’s Death Was an Accident
Despite the long and extensive search for Chris Smith, the authorities could not locate him. When the Smith family hired a computer expert to look into the emails sent by Chris over the course of the past few months, they learned that all of them were sent from within the country. This seemed suspicious as he claimed that he had left the country. Meanwhile, when the investigators looked for evidence at the former 800XChange office, they found a significant amount of blood, which belonged to nobody but Chris. This discovery built a suspicion around his business partner, Edward Younghoon Shin.
As they zeroed in on him, it turned out that he had been sending emails to Chris’ family, girlfriend, and friends for about a year or so. He presumed the victim’s identity and told his loved ones that he had sold his share of the company and was going on an around-the-world adventure with a Playboy Playmate on a chartered yacht, while investing in gold coins. Although the authorities didn’t have enough evidence to take the suspect, Edward, into custody, they caught him trying to leave the country on August 28, 2011. Due to his previous conviction related to embezzlement, his parole agreement required him to stay in the country. Thus, they arrested him at Los Angeles International Airport, from where he was looking to board a flight to Canada.
During the questioning, when the authorities asked about the blood found at their former office, Edward claimed that it was from an injury that he had sustained. However, he soon changed his story when the detectives told him that it was Chris’ blood. Eventually, he admitted to killing his business partner, but claimed that it was an accident. As per his account, on June 4, 2010, Chris and Edward were in the middle of a knock-down-drag-out fight when the former lunged at him, and he defended himself. The suspect claimed that his 33-year-old partner struck his head on a desk accidentally, causing a fatal injury. In a state of panic, he then allegedly hired an Eastern European man for thousands of dollars to get rid of his remains.
The Killer Was Brought to Justice
In late 2018, Edward Shin’s murder trial for killing his business partner, Christopher Ryan Smith, commenced. The defense claimed that Chris had died of an unfortunate accident and the defendant had no intention of killing him. On the other hand, the prosecution argued that Edward killed Chris to gain complete ownership of their shared business. They also presented the cell phone records, placing him around Boulevard, California, on June 7 and June 9, 2010.
The defendant also took the stand and defended himself, claiming that Chris had turned violent at their office during an argument on the fateful day. Ultimately, the jury deliberated for about an hour before reaching a verdict. On December 7, he was convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances. Several months later, in July 2019, Edward was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As of today, the 47-year-old killer is serving his sentence at California State Prison, Solano, in Vacaville, California.
Read More: Where is Ed Shin Now?
