Top Businessman Murdered In Ultimate Betrayal

The pinnacle of treachery occurred at an extreme sports firm in Roseville, California. After her fiancé, Chris Northam Jr., 24, informed her that he had heard gunshots outside Skim X—his family’s indoor sports company—on May 30, 2011, 33-year-old Averill Easley frantically called 911. Rescue workers discovered 44-year-old Christopher “Chris” Northam Sr. sprawled out on the floor of the Skim X warehouse. Northam was shot in the face and shoulder.

His brother Shon Northam said that Northam was “very focused and motivated” despite growing up in a low-income family. Even though he and his wife filed for a divorce, eyewitnesses say he was very close to his kids Cody and Chris Jr.

Northam dreamed up the concept for Skim X, an indoor waterpark, in September 2008. It took Northam and his boys over three years to develop the idea.

Skim X’s former business manager, Chris Jr., informed authorities that he and his father spoke with a South African investor via conference call first thing in the morning. Concerned about the use of funds, the caller wanted to know more. Northam crossed the industrial park in his car and headed toward the company’s warehouse at around 2 p.m. Chris Jr. claims his dad told him he thought the warehouse had been broken into.

The fact that the son contacted Easley instead of 911 seemed quite strange. Placer County Chief Deputy District Attorney David Tellman said, “Chris Jr. potentially was a suspect.”

As detectives persisted in seeking new leads, the police sought Northam’s mobile phone records for any potential evidence. Allegedly, Northam concealed an AR-15 gun beneath his desk at Skim X, as they discovered. Near Northam’s residence, authorities found an empty rifle case.

A homicide was declared in the death of Christopher Northam Sr. Northam “was shot from a distance, not a close range,” according to the medical examiner, according to Tabman. The cops were investigating if his pistol was used as a murder weapon. A comprehensive inquiry led to the exclusion of Conn as a potential suspect.

Chris Northam Jr. confessed to the crime, receiving 13 years in prison.

He is already out. He was released in 2022 for “good behavior.”