Chris Sgouromitis Obituary, Death; – A 23-year-old individual was found guilty of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a convenience store owner in Cathedral City during a failed robbery attempt.
Charles Lamar Campbell, aged 23 from Beaumont, was convicted of murder, with the added charge of committing the crime during a robbery, as well as enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing significant bodily harm. Evidence presented during the trial indicated that he was responsible for the shooting death of Chris Sgouromitis, a 61-year-old resident of Cathedral City, at the Outpost Market on February 21, 2021. Sgouromitis had been running the store with his family.
The trial for a second suspect, Joel Ortiz Hidalgo, also 23 and from Desert Hot Springs, is currently ongoing. Hidalgo is alleged to have been the driver while Campbell entered the store intending to commit an armed robbery. According to a brief submitted by the District Attorney’s Office, on the evening of February 21, 2021, Campbell and Hidalgo were driving through the Coachella Valley in Hidalgo’s Acura sedan, looking to buy marijuana.
After a deal fell through in Palm Springs, they proceeded to Cathedral City, where Campbell instructed Hidalgo to turn onto Shifting Sands Trail, leading them to the Outpost Market at the intersection of Shifting Sands and Ramon Road. While Hidalgo remained in the vehicle, Campbell entered the convenience store, which had been owned and operated by Sgouromitis and his family for many years, as stated by the prosecutors. Although the store was empty at the time, security cameras were recording, capturing nearly the entire interaction between the victim and the defendant.
The footage showed the victim with the cash register open, seemingly counting or organizing cash as Campbell entered the store brandishing a semiautomatic handgun. Although the exchange between the two men was not captured on video, the footage did show Campbell allegedly raising the firearm, aiming it at the victim, and firing a shot while retreating.
