LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: NBC’s long-running investigative news program ‘Dateline’ is back with another compelling, emotional, and captivating murder mystery. The upcoming episode of the powerful documentary show will dive into the backstory of the heart-wrenching murder of a California surfer, who was also a successful entrepreneur. The documentary centers on the sudden disappearance of Christopher Smith, who was, as it was later revealed, murdered by none other than his business partner, Edward Younghoon Shin.
Edward Younghoon Shin made headlines after confessing to killing his business partner Christopher Smith. He revealed in an interview inside the jail that it was all because of money and greed. However, the inside secrets behind Chris’s disappearance and murder will be revealed in NBC Dateline's upcoming episode.
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Who was Christopher Smith?
Christopher Smith, also known as Chris Smith was a rising entrepreneur from California. He was charismatic, carefree, and creative. He loved surfing but spent much of his younger years building a successful advertising company titled 800XChange. He also had a business partner named Edward Younghoon Shin (Ed Shin).
After dedicating most of his life to his business, Smith wanted to live his dream of exploring the world and surfing. He later walked away from the business and was rich enough to do whatever he wanted. Apparently, his dreams of living life to the fullest turned into a nightmare after he was murdered by his greedy business partner, Ed Shin.
Chris Smith's mysterious disappearance
Chris Smith suddenly disappeared in June 2010 and his family believed that he was living out his dream of traveling and surfing. In reality, he had been called to attend a business meeting by his partner Ed Shin. According to ABC News, Shin revealed in an interview what exactly happened between him and Smith. He stated that Smith grabbed him by the throat and threw punches after Shin accused him of being complicit in a theft. He further explained that they leaped at each other, which lead to Smith falling and hitting his head on a desk. Shin didn’t call 911 because he was scared and decided to call for outside help to dispose of his body and remove the blood stains. However, the authorities believe his account of how Smith died was a false. Shin also admitted that for months, he impersonated Smith and sent Smith’s family and friends emails claiming that he is traveling the world. Additionally, right after Smith’s death, Shin emailed Smith's lawyer and also his girlfriend claiming he was buying out his business and leaving her to travel the world with a former Playboy model. He also later told Smith's family, impersonating the dead victim, that he was 'suicidal'.
Chris Smith's family suspected foul play
At first, it didn’t come as a surprise to his family because it was always Smith's dream to explore the world. Moreover, Ed Shin maintained contact with Smith’s family for a period of six months by sending them emails constantly, stating his whereabouts and supposed trips around the world. He told them about how he sold his share of the company and decided to live his dream on a yacht that he had rented. However, his sudden disappearance without any farewells perplexed his family, who started investigating through law enforcement.
Smith’s disappearance of weeks turned into months and there was no sign of him except the random emails. By early 2011, his family became suspicious when he didn’t return and attempted to discover the source of the emails he was sending. His brother, Paul, searched for him in his office, and later filed a missing persons report. This led to the discovery of new details that were all tied to his business partner, Ed Shin.
Additionally, a computer expert told the Smith's family that the emails had been sent from within the country. When his family reported to law enforcement to unfold the truth, the forensic tests from Smith’s office space revealed a large trace of blood. It was later confirmed with a DNA test that this was indeed Smith’s blood.
Ed Shin confesses to murdering Chris Smith
While Shin’s first story is regarded to be a false claim by authorities, he admitted to accidentally murdering his former business partner. However, he refused to accept that he tried to kill him intentionally. He stuck to the story that Smith slipped and hit his head on a desk, resulting in his death. When asked about his body, Shin claimed that he has no idea where Smith’s body was and stated that he paid thousands of dollars to an Eastern European man to dispose of the body. He never even asked the person’s name and refused to offer any further information about this matter, but admits there’s more to the story.
Catch this episode of ‘Dateline’ on NBC on Friday, May 26 at 9 pm ET.
