Santa Cruz, CA – A former cannabis worker accused of participating in the 2019 murder of tech and marijuana entrepreneur Tushar Atre testified in court last week, claiming the victim had created a hostile, humiliating work environment that drove employees to resentment and violence. Atre, a multimillionaire CEO, was later kidnapped, robbed, stabbed, and shot to death, prosecutors say.
The Incident: Pushups, Paychecks, and a Brewing Conflict
During testimony on November 7, defendant Kaleb Charters, 25, told jurors that Atre routinely berated and humiliated employees at his Santa Cruz cannabis farm, at one point forcing workers to do 500 pushups to receive their paychecks.
“You guys are in the Army. Do 500 pushups,” Charters recalled Atre saying after two employees lost the keys to a company vehicle nicknamed the “Monster Truck.”
Charters, a former U.S. Army National Guard member, described Atre as a volatile boss who “flipped out” over small mistakes and threatened to cancel paychecks. Workers allegedly earned $200 a day while working 10 days straight in remote mountain conditions.
Just two months after the pushup incident, Atre was kidnapped from his home, bound, and fatally shot, according to prosecutors.
Investigation and Evidence: Inside the Brutal Killing
Detectives say Atre was abducted on October 1, 2019, from his home in Santa Cruz County and later found dead at one of his cannabis properties. He had been stabbed and shot multiple times, with investigators describing the crime as a targeted robbery turned deadly.
“They were humiliated in front of people,” Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Detective Ethan Rumrill testified in late October, describing the toxic workplace environment that preceded the murder.
The prosecution alleges that Charters, along with his brother Kurtis Charters, brother-in-law Stephen Lindsay, and friend Joshua Camps, planned to rob Atre of $1 million they believed was hidden in his home.
A video confession from Camps, played in court, detailed the killing.
“We zip-tied his hands, shoved a sock in his mouth,” Camps allegedly said. “He was covered in blood. He kept saying, ‘Please let me go.’ Lindsay was asking, ‘Why are you so mean to people?’”
Camps admitted to stabbing Atre in the neck after an escape attempt, then shooting him in the jaw and back of the head with an AR-15 rifle.
“He wasn’t going to last much longer,” Camps said in the video. “I knew he was going to die.”
Court Proceedings and Testimonies
The ongoing trial has revealed disturbing details of workplace abuse, employee frustration, and a plot that escalated into murder. Charters and Joshua Camps are both charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, and carjacking.
Their alleged accomplices, Stephen Lindsay and Kurtis Charters, were convicted earlier this year and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors argue the killing was premeditated and financially motivated, while defense attorneys claim their clients were driven by Atre’s abusive treatment and mental exhaustion.
“Did Mr. Atre invoke fear in his employees so they would work harder for him?” asked defense attorney Thomas Brewer.
“Yes,” replied Sam Borghese, another former worker who testified that Atre “pushed his employees very hard.”
Background: A Millionaire’s Double Life
Before his death, Tushar Atre, 50, was known as a successful tech entrepreneur and cannabis business owner in Santa Cruz. He founded AtreNet, a web design firm, before entering the legal marijuana industry through Interstellar Inc., a cannabis cultivation company.
Despite his success, multiple employees later described him as a demanding and volatile boss who allegedly withheld pay, fired staff impulsively, and created a culture of intimidation. Some employees reportedly “joked” about robbing or hurting him long before the murder occurred, according to police interviews.
Ongoing Developments and Next Steps
The trial for Joshua Camps is set to resume this week, while Kaleb Charters remains in custody pending further proceedings. Both face life sentences without parole if convicted.
Camps is also charged with carjacking and multiple firearm offenses, and his next court date is scheduled for November 12.
Authorities have not commented on whether additional charges will be filed against other individuals connected to the case.
Conclusion
The murder of Tushar Atre has revealed a shocking story of workplace resentment, greed, and violence that culminated in one of California’s most brutal employer-employee crimes. As the trial continues, jurors will decide whether the suspects’ claims of mistreatment justify their actions—or whether the cold-blooded killing of a CEO was an act of calculated revenge.
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