Adea Shabani Murder – Adea Shabani uprooted her life to pursue a career in Hollywood. She is originally from Macedonia and has received training as an actress, culminating in a role in the independent film All or Nothing. Adea Shabani was last seen leaving her home in Hollywood, California, on February 23, 2018, with two bags.
In the Investigation Discovery documentary “Death by Fame” episode 4 titled, “For the Love of Drama,” the bizarre murder of Adea Shabani, a 25-year-old aspiring actress, is depicted.
A month after her last sighting, Shabani’s body was discovered hundreds of kilometers from her home in a remote natural area. Police swiftly limited the suspect pool to Shabani’s 33-year-old boyfriend, Christopher Spotz. However, many questions persisted. The following are the circumstances behind Adea Shabani’s murder.
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Who Was Adea Shabani?
Adea Shabani attended an international school in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, before moving to France to receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the American University of Paris. By the time she graduated in 2014, Shabani had already visited the United States; a photo from 2012 shows her with Kanye West in a Las Vegas nightclub. Shabani worked at a jewelry store in Dubai for some time before deciding to move to Los Angeles and pursue her lifelong ambition of becoming an actress.
Shabani is 5’5″ in height with blonde hair and blue eyes, making her a potential Hollywood starring lady. From the 2016 Facebook profile photo of actor Michael Gambon, we learn: “The beat of the heart. The sensation within me. Numerous people fantasize. I hypothesize that it arises from a tendency to daydream. Children with a vivid imagination often become actors, don’t they?” In the same year, Shabani posed for a photograph next to a skyline poster saying, “I’m going to be a different kind of star.”
All who knew Shabani recalled her as a bright and kind woman. Krysi Newman, a neighbor, told CBS: “It’s very upsetting and tragic because she had so much vibrancy.” “It was simple to appreciate her company. I would encounter her in the staircase, the laundry room, and the elevator. She gave me excellent washing ideas and was a really feisty woman.”
Shabani blasted some Drake and Beyoncé while driving. The flowers and posters of Leonardo DiCaprio and other Hollywood luminaries adorned her apartment. She appeared to be living her best life while following her aspirations of Hollywood glory as a gorgeous young woman.
Shabani attended the renowned Stella Adler Studio of Acting at the time of her abduction. Close acquaintance Christian Name raved to Dateline about her dedication to her career. And I do not doubt that she desired to complete her education for preparedness. The name described Shabani as “very funny and a wonderful friend” who was “energetic” and “empathetic.”
Who was Chris Spotz?
Chris Spotz, Shabani’s sporadically committed lover, is a native of Colorado. After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado in 2009 with a degree in psychology, Chris relocated to Los Angeles. The 33-year-old accompanied Shabani to Stella Adler because he desired to become an actress. He never disclosed their relationship to his friends or academics.
Between 2014 and 2018, Spotz only appeared in five films, all of them were shorts. At 5′ 9, “IMDb notes that despite his relatively tiny frame, Sportz was an energetic man whose favorite activities included martial arts, yoga, and volleyball.
Spotz was supposedly still engaged to another lady, Mary Elmalak when he began seeing Shabani, which hampered their relationship. Although Shabani knew his relationship with Elmalak, it is unclear how well Elmalak knew him.
How Did Adea Shabani Die?
At noon on Friday, February 23, 2018, Shabani and Spotz left her residence. The pair was captured by CCTV cameras in the elevator of her building, wearing baseball caps and carrying two pieces of luggage. She sent her farewell text around that time, begging a pal for assistance in locating red candles. After that, no one ever heard from her again.
Shabani’s loved ones began to worry since she was constantly messaging. The Los Angeles Police Department began searching for her after her disappearance was reported two days after her last known contact with them. Her friends initially believed she had merely gone away for the weekend. The following Monday, though, Shabani missed a mandatory acting class. According to private investigator Jayden Bryant, who the Shabani family recruited, roles were assigned in the semester’s first class. “Friends had described her as zealous… and suggested she was vying for a prominent position in that class. Both her attendance record and word of mouth confirm that she was never absent from school. She possessed a strong sense of responsibility.”
Geoffrey Scholl, a classmate, told Dateline that everyone was concerned when she didn’t show up. Everyone wanted to find her and assist in any way possible.
Shabani’s laptop revealed signs of use on the evening she vanished, and her flat was found unlocked, which was out of character. Spotz was a prime suspect since he was the last person seen with her before she vanished. He verified to officials that he had departed with Shabani to drive to Northern California. Still, he said the couple had an incident around Santa Clarita, barely 25 miles from her home, and he went away.
Spotz stated that was his last interaction with Adea Shabani.
As the search for Shabani intensified, her mother arrived from Macedonia, and posters offering a $25,000 prize for information about her disappearance were displayed across Hollywood. Shabani’s 26th birthday came and passed without a word from her. On March 10, 2018, dozens of volunteers searched a Northern California forest but discovered nothing.
“We are afraid and praying,” Christian Name told KABC 11 days after Shabani disappeared. “This is completely out of character for her. About her age, she is exceptionally mature. There is a great deal for us to accomplish right now. Each and every one of us adores her.” Emma Joe, another close friend, expressed concern. “Not the same as her. Nobody is aware of her whereabouts or the nature of the problem. What a sad situation; all we can do is pray for her survival.”
When they could not establish his alibi, the police began to suspect that Spotz knew more than he let on. Spotz and Elmalak left Los Angeles on March 1 for Spotz’s hometown in Colorado. The missing Toyota Tacoma reported by Spotz was later determined to have been stolen. On the day Shabani disappeared, she was driven away by the same vehicle.
Three weeks later, on March 22, authorities in San Bernardino, California, located Spotz’s vehicle, sparking a 60-mile car chase. Officers in the Corona, California, area attempted to stop Spotz, but he committed himself by shooting himself. Unconfirmed sources indicate that the vehicle has a second occupant.
Despite this disturbing development, Shabani’s disappearance was still being investigated as a missing person’s case. On March 27, 2018, a body was discovered in a small grave in the Sierra Nevada mountains, some 400 miles from Shabani’s residence in Los Angeles, confirming the darkest concerns. Capt. William Hayes of the LAPD described the body’s recovery as a “lengthy and laborious procedure designed to preserve the evidence.”
Using Shabani’s distinctive tattoos, detectives positively identified her body the following day. According to Lt. Rob Bringolf, Sheriff of Nevada County, authorities decided that she died from “head trauma” and classified her death as a homicide.
John Jack Rodgers, the executive director of Stella Adler, stated, “We are shocked,” and added that Shabani was “growing tremendously” in her career and “held nothing back.”
Friends attended a vigil by candlelight that night to grieve their death. A mourner told KTLA, “She was very receptive and lovely.” The expression “she helped anyone who asked” derives from how she assisted those in need.
Who Killed Actress Adea Shabani?
According to the authorities, Adea and her boyfriend, Chris Spotz, vanished on February 23 after leaving their residence. Chris, an actor-to-be from Colorado, met his future wife, Adea, at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Chris was apparently engaged to Mary Elmalak throughout the time he was dating Adea, making their connection unpleasant. Jessica’s friends contacted the Los Angeles Police Department after she missed a crucial class on February 26.
Adea’s family contacted private investigator Jayden Bryant, who recalled, “That was the first class where roles were assigned that semester. According to her close friends, she was ecstatic about the possibility of a leading position in the class. Her classmates and friends will attest that she never skipped class. She possessed a high degree of honesty. Concerned for Adea Shabani’s safety, her classmates reported her missing to the authorities.
When the police learned that she and Chris had been spotted in the elevator, they examined the security film to determine whether or not they could be seen. Adea Shabani was carrying two suitcases, and the man was wearing a baseball cap when they observed them. The last text message on her phone was a question to a friend about where to purchase red candles. Adea Shabani was such a frequent texter that her family and friends were concerned when they hadn’t heard from her in some time. They reasoned that she was most likely spending the weekend with Chris; thus, they were unconcerned.
Chris told the authorities that he and Adea took a long road trip to Northern California during their interrogation. However, Chris reported that the couple argued in the car, and she exited the vehicle approximately 25 miles from her house in Santa Clarita. Since then, he has not seen her and claims no idea where she went. Adea Shabani’s friends had already posted flyers throughout the city, and her mother had offered a $25,000 prize for information.
How Did Chris Spotz Die?
The police believed that Adea Shabani’s Toyota Tacoma was stolen since it matched the description of the car the couple had used on their last outing. The police wanted Chris after holes were revealed in his alibi. On March 1, he and his fiancee Mary departed Los Angeles to return to his home state of Colorado. On March 22, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies found Chris near Hesperia driving a stolen Toyota Tacoma.
Chris led police on a high-speed pursuit from Hesperia to Corona when they attempted to apprehend him. Police say that after dodging two spike strips, the suspect made his way to the westbound Riverside (91), where he escaped. Chris exited the 91 at Green River Road, drove south to Rio Vista Street, and stopped with the police cars in pursuit. Chris fatally shot himself in the head with his handgun while being followed by police officers for a traffic violation arrest. Apparently, he died instantly.
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