A quick note: We’re not sure how we missed this tragic news when it happened back in January, but it resurfaced this week when prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty for the alleged killer.

Charlotte photographer Chris Radok was murdered in his home early this January, becoming that city’s first homicide victim of 2011. The 55-year-old had been affiliated with Creative Loafing (Charlotte) for a long time, serving as photographer and photo editor, both freelance and full-time, from 1994 to 2006.

“Chris was an all-around unusual guy, often hilariously funny, just as often grumpy and sharp-tongued. His was a natural, easy brand of non-conformity and it came to define him,” CL‘s John Grooms wrote in a January blog post. “I remember Chris as a courageous, unique and generous soul, an’old soul,’ full of surprises. To know that he’s gone now is inconceivable.”

For more on Radok’s life and his legacy, you can browse CL‘s posts on him here, or check out the Chris Radok Memorial Page on Facebook.