A California man has been convicted of murder, kidnapping, and burglary in the 2019 killing of Santa Cruz tech CEO and marijuana entrepreneur Tushar Atre. Joshua Camps, 29, assisted three others after Atre had humiliated two employees by forcing them to do 500 pushups over paycheck issues. The planned robbery escalated into a fatal stabbing and shooting at Atre's cannabis farm.
Joshua Camps was found guilty on Wednesday of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and burglary for the slaying of Tushar Atre, according to local reports. The incident stemmed from a toxic work environment at Atre's Santa Cruz marijuana operation, where he allegedly yelled at employees, withheld paychecks, and fired those he deemed disrespectful. Staff reportedly joked about robbing or harming him beforehand. Two months prior to the killing, Atre demanded that workers Kaleb Charters and Stephen Lindsay—both former U.S. Army National Guard members—perform 500 pushups after they lost keys to a farm vehicle called the 'Monster Truck,' threatening to cancel their checks despite their long hours planting cannabis for $200 a day. Kaleb Charters testified that Atre was 'flipping out.' He recruited Camps and his brother Kurtis Charters for a planned $1 million robbery at Atre's home. During the home invasion, Atre escaped but was recaptured, zip-tied, and gagged with a sock. Camps confessed to stabbing him repeatedly in the neck and shooting him in the jaw and head with an AR-15 rifle at a Santa Cruz cannabis property, stating, 'He wasn't going to last much longer.' Prosecutor described Camps stabbing Atre 'over, and over, and over,' with blood found in an SUV. Detective Ethan Rumrill testified that Charters and Lindsay 'were humiliated in front of people.' Worker Sam Borghese confirmed Atre 'pushed his employees very hard' and invoked fear to make them work harder. Kaleb Charters, Kurtis Charters, and Lindsay received life sentences without parole. Camps faces sentencing on March 19.
