How to Catch A Criminal: You Think You Know a Person
How well do you know your family members? Your significant other? Your friends? Imagine you receive a text message from your spouse which says “Hey honey, can you send me the PIN number for the debit card? I forgot it.” Do you send the number, or do you get a feeling of fear and dread in the pit of stomach because your spouse has never called you “honey” before, and would never forget something so important, thus something must be terribly wrong? How long would it take you to realize you aren’t talking to the person you thought you were, and how certain would you be it isn’t them? Unfortunately, by the time you realize something is amiss, it may already be too late. Your friend or family member may be in grave danger, or worse. In 2010, the friends and family of a 31-year-old California business owner received e-mails from his address sharing stories of exciting places, beautiful women and awesome surfing all over the world. In time, however, the people who knew him best discovered the truth was not as it seemed.
Chris Smith had everything going for him. At just 31 years of age, he was a former professional wake-boarder and co-owner of a profitable business which collected leads on potential clients, and sold those leads to advertising companies. As an avid surfer and resident of Orange County, he didn’t have to go far to find excellent waves to get his thrills, but he still loved to travel. Chris, though previously a proponent of the bachelor lifestyle, found a lovely woman he was getting quite serious with. The future was very bright for Chris Smith. Helping Chris run the business was his partner Edward Younghoon Shin. Ed Shin was born to Korean immigrant parents and became a more traditional business type. No globetrotting surfing trips for Shin. He had a wife and kids, fancy designer clothes, took business trips with clients, and dabbled in a touch of embezzlement, here and there. Prior to pairing up with Chris, Ed worked for another lead gathering company, and was a star employee—at least at first glance. Over the course of his tenure there, however, Shin embezzled approximately $2.5 million, started the rival company with Chris, and began stealing clients to feed his new business. While Chris and Ed’s company was on the rise and they were no strangers to million dollar profits themselves, Ed was in hot water for his misdeeds at his prior workplace. Ed Shin was on probation thanks to the embezzling case brought forth by his previous employer. If he wanted to stay out of prison, he was going to have to pay some serious restitution to his former bosses, starting in the high six-figure range.
Considering the money he was making alongside Chris, this shouldn’t have been an impossible hurdle, but Ed Shin led a bit of a double life. When he wasn’t home living as the perfect picture of the American business and family man, he spent his time in Sin City. Ed frequented Las Vegas, often meeting potential clients and showing them a good time. He would drive them around in expensive cars and put them up in lavish hotel suites, presenting himself as a true high roller. This of course also meant Ed Shin was gambling away more money than anyone should feel comfortable losing, racking up tremendous debt. With jail time on the horizon and too much debt to pay already, Ed needed access to company funds to save his hide. Meanwhile, Chris decided the corporate life just wasn’t for him. The money was great, but it was cutting into his outdoor lifestyle. Chris wanted to get back to the old days of carefree surfing and relaxing on the beach, and he offered to sell his half of the business to Ed. On June 4th, 2010, Ed and Chris met at their office to sign papers and solidify the $1,000,000 deal.
On June 7th, Chris sent an email to his parents explaining he was on a three week trip to the Galapagos Islands and wouldn’t have phone or internet access most of the time, but would be in touch when possible. While this was out of the blue, it was not unrealistic for Chris to take off on a vacation like this, especially with the money he made from the sale. Chris then broke up with the woman he was head over heels for, via text message. This was certainly surprising, but it was explained away in an e-mail to his younger brother, Paul. Chris told Paul about, and sent him photos of, a stunning woman he had met on his travels. She was a former adult magazine model, and more importantly, Chris’s new woman. At some point before or during his trip, Chris e-mailed his attorney to explain he and Ed had adjusted the terms of their deal and Chris sold his half of the business for $30,000 and 10 gold coins. This was a drastic change from their initial agreement, but Chris had invested in gold previously, so perhaps he saw sufficient value in the coins to forgo the other $970,000.
By August, well past the three week date initially given, Chris’ father was concerned these odd e-mails were not from his son and asked a few personal questions which Chris would know the answer to, and a stranger wouldn’t. He eventually responded with the correct answers, putting the Smith family’s minds at ease for the time being. Meanwhile, stateside, Ed Shin was doing well for himself thanks to his now solely owned business, and it was time for a company trip to Las Vegas. Ed and several of his employees, including Chris’ brother Paul Smith, headed to the neon city for some time away. While there, Paul found himself in a night club, enjoying his vacation, when he noticed a beautiful woman. In a remarkable coincidence, Chris’ professional model girlfriend stood before his brother, apparently back from their travels together. Paul approached her to introduce himself and inquire about Chris’s whereabouts and welfare. Strangely enough, she had no idea what Paul was talking about.
The peculiarities from Chris continued as his infrequent e-mails explained his journey had taken him through Argentina, Africa and India. He said he had no plans to return to the U.S. and wanted to live off the grid. His demeanor eventually changed, expressing suicidal thoughts and struggles with drug abuse. Around Christmas of 2010, Chris said he planned to sell some gold coins to a man in Africa, and would use the money to start a new company. This was the last anyone ever heard from Chris. Or at least, from his e-mail address.
In Spring of 2011 Chris was reported as missing by his family, who also asked the U.S. State Department to attempt to find where his passport was last used. When the State Department got back to them, it only raised more questions. Chris’s passport hadn’t been used in a number of years. Luckily there was one man who might have some answers, and as it turned out he had an answer for just about everything: Ed Shin. Ed told the Smith family Chris had obtained a fake passport to help him live off the grid. While this wasn’t comforting, it at least explained why he was untraceable. In June of that year, one year since Chris took of on vacation, Ed Shin was questioned by Laguna police detectives who were looking into Chris’ disappearance. Ed of course, had answers for everything. Chris was a drunk with drug problems. He bought into conspiracy theories about the global elite planning to collapse the economy and wanted to leave the country. Ed offered to buy him out of the company so he could leave the U.S. and live out his fantasies abroad. After signing the papers, Chris went on a bender, blacking out, trashing the office, vomiting and urinating. When Ed found Chris passed out the next morning, Chris said he was off to start his journey, and was never seen again because he didn’t want to be found.
Ed had moved the business to a new office, leaving unpaid debt with his previous landlord. The landlord hired a private investigation firm to track down Shin, and while searching for him they learned of Chris Smith’s mysterious disappearance. They contacted the Smith family about the case, and through the investigation, learned the e-mails Chris had sent were all sent from inside the U.S. With everything the Smith’s knew now turned on its head, the next step was to search the old office. The investigators found Chris’s office had some odd stains inside, consistent with blood. Police were contacted and took over the scene, finding blood all over the office, including on the ceiling.
Luckily, Ed was still available for questioning, at least after being arrested for violating his probation by trying to fly to Canada. Once again, Ed had the answers detectives were looking for. The blood soaked office? Well that was just from a cut Ed suffered while slicing an apple. This was of course the wrong answer, because the blood had already been analyzed, and it was not Ed Shin’s, but Chris Smith’s. Ed’s story fell to pieces, and he finally admitted Chris Smith was dead, and he was responsible. He maintained, however, this was not cold blooded murder, but a terrible accident. When they met to make the deal, there was an argument, and Chris attacked Ed, forcing him to defend himself. During the office brawl, Chris fell and hit his head on the desk causing him to bleed to death on the floor. Ed panicked and contacted a Russian man to dispose of the body. Naturally, Ed has no idea who the Russian man was, just a professional body disposer he happened to be acquainted with. That’s Ed’s story and he’s stuck to it. He also says he does not know where Chris’ body is, and to this day it has not been found, thus the fatal head injury Shin claims Smith suffered has not been verified.
Ed stood to gain plenty from having full control of the company, but he most likely did not have the $1,000,000 needed to purchase it, thanks to the debts he was trying to pay off already. Ed claims to regret not contacting police and sorting out the situation from the start. As a regretful person, he then posed as his dead friend for months, drawing out a family’s grief and worry. As a regretful person, he also lied to police on multiple occasions. As a regretful person, he got everything he wanted, regardless of who had to suffer for him to do so. In 2018, Ed Shin was found guilty and sentenced to life without parole after a jury deliberated for only an hour. Ed has since gone on to state there is more to the story, but he can’t talk about it. Perhaps his regret keeps him from divulging the details.
Thanks to his inability to handle money responsibly, Ed left his landlord high and dry, with tens of thousands of dollars unpaid. Thanks to the landlord hiring investigators, the crime scene was discovered. Thanks to detectives uncovering the death of Chris Smith, Ed Shin will be locked away for good. Ed did his best to hide the trail of breadcrumbs he left behind after the murder, but he was of course still his own worst enemy. Sadly, despite crime scene processing, interrogation, searches for the body, and a solid case presented in court, the whole truth of this incident will not be known unless Ed tells it. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come in the form of an e-mail.
Officer Brendan Rodela, Contributing Editor | Officer
Brendan Rodela is a Deputy for the Lincoln County (NM) Sheriff's Office. He holds a degree in Criminal Justice and is a certified instructor with specialized training in Domestic Violence and Interactions with Persons with Mental Impairments.