Edward Younghoon Shin is charged with murdering Christopher Ryan Smith in their business office after Smith said he wanted out of the advertising company the two had created.

Rather than buying out his partner for the agreed $1 million, prosecutors say Shin killed Smith then hijacked his e-mail account and sent messages to family members saying Smith was enjoying an adventurous African holiday.

Prosecutors say the messages stopped after Smith purportedly said he was visiting “the Congo.”