Co-Conspirator Convicted Of Murder In Beloved Community Member's Death

CATHEDRAL CITY, CA — A conspirator in the death of a Cathedral City convenience store owner fatally shot during a botched robbery was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder and other offenses.

An Indio jury deliberated more than two days before finding Joel Ortiz Hidalgo, 23, of Desert Hot Springs guilty in the 2021 slaying of 61-year-old Chris Sgouromitis of Cathedral City.

Along with murder, the panel convicted Hidalgo of attempted robbery and a special circumstance allegation of killing in the course of a robbery.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Otis Sterling scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 7 at the Larson Justice Center. That's the same date set for the sentencing of Hidalgo's co-defendant, Charles Lamar Campbell, 23, of Beaumont, who was convicted last week by a separate jury of the same charges, as well a sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

Both men are being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center and are facing mandatory sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, on the night of Feb. 21, 2021, Campbell and Hidalgo were driving around the Coachella Valley in the latter's Acura sedan, seeking to purchase a "plug" of marijuana. When a transaction fell through in Palm Springs, the men headed into Cathedral City, where Campbell directed Hidalgo onto Shifting Sands Trail and, ultimately, the Outpost Market at the intersection of Shifting Sands and Ramon Road.

While Hidalgo sat behind the wheel of his car, Campbell entered the convenience store, long owned and operated by Sgouromitis and his family.

Although no one else was in the outlet, security surveillance cameras inside captured almost all of the ensuing encounter between the victim and Campbell, according to the brief.

"The victim had the cash register open and appeared to be counting or organizing cash in the register as Campbell walked in ... holding a semiautomatic handgun," the narrative stated.

There were words between the men, which the video cameras did not record. The images, however, revealed that Campbell raised the pistol, held it with both hands and aimed it at the victim. The defendant fired a shot while backing toward the double doors, striking Sgouromitis in the left hip, prosecutors said.

When the store owner tried to run away from the counter, Campbell fired two more shots, hitting the victim in the chest and lower back, according to the brief.

The gunfire evidently frightened Hidalgo, who sped away from the location as Campbell exited the store, the prosecution said. Campbell was forced to flee on foot through residences lining Shifting Sands, and during his getaway, he accidentally fired his 9mm pistol into a yard, where the homeowner was watching.

Sgouromitis' brother, who had been resting in a room at the back of the store when the shots rang out, initiated CPR on his sibling until Cathedral City Police Department officers arrived and took over, followed by paramedics moments later. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was a beloved member of the community, and CCPD released a statement within a few days of his murder, saying he was a "father of four with strong local ties, who was not involved in criminal activity."

Hidalgo's Acura was soon identified as the vehicle that had parked outside the convenience store, and the license plate was confirmed via Flock law enforcement camera recordings in Palm Springs, leading to his being tracked down and detained for questioning less than a week later.

The defendant provided details regarding what had transpired, insisting that he was only giving Campbell a ride to get some marijuana and had no foreknowledge of the planned robbery, according to the brief.

Campbell was tracked to a Beaumont motel, where detectives went to serve an arrest warrant, listening through the door as he conversed via speaker phone with his mother, telling her, "The driver was arrested, and all he has to do is give me up," according to the prosecution.

Officers ordered him out of the room, at which point the defendant was taken into custody without incident.

Neither man had documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.