FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Case # 11CF2363
December 7, 2018
MAN CONVICTED OF MURDERING BUSINESS PARTNER FOR FINANCIAL GAIN TO ASSUME FULL CONTROL OF THE COMPANY
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was convicted today of murdering his business partner in their San Juan Capistrano office to gain control of the victim’s shares of the company.
|
Defendant |
Charges |
Maximum Sentence |
Court Date |
|
Edward Younghoon Shin, 41, Irvine |
Found guilty by a jury on Dec. 7, 2018, of the following felony count:
Sentencing Enhancement found true:
|
Life in state prison without the possibility of parole |
Sentencing Feb. 1, 2019 Department C-35, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana |
Circumstances of the Case
- In 2010, Shin co-owned an Internet advertising business, 800xchange, with 33-year-old Christopher Smith.
- On June 4, 2010, Shin murdered Smith in their San Juan Capistrano office and disposed of the body. He committed the murder for financial gain with the intention of gaining full ownership of the business.
- After the murder, Shin produced documents containing a false signature from Smith signing the rights of the business over to defendant.
- Smith lived in the City of Laguna Beach and the Laguna Beach Police Department began investigating this case as a missing persons case based on a report filed by the victim’s family in April 2011.
- The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) took over as the lead investigating agency based on evidence that the victim had been murdered in San Juan Capistrano.
- Shin was arrested on Aug. 28, 2011, by OCSD Investigators at Los Angeles International Airport sitting onboard a flight awaiting departure to Canada.
Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy, Homicide Unit