When Tushar Atre was abducted from his home perched on the oceanside cliffs of Santa Cruz, California in the predawn hours of October 1, 2019, the usually quiet surf community was thrust into a nightmare. The successful tech executive and cannabis entrepreneur was found dead just hours later on one of his own cannabis properties with stab wounds and a fatal gunshot wound to the back of his head.
Background
Friends and neighbors in Santa Cruz County were left reeling by the violence that had descended upon their community. "Everyone was spooked. You could really see the fear in people's eyes," said Maria Cid Medina, a reporter with KPIX-TV San Francisco. Investigators with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office faced an uphill battle. "There were no immediate suspects," Cid Medina reported. "You got a sense that investigators did not have any leads in this case."
That all changed when detectives began digging into Atre's cannabis business operations. As they interviewed his employees and associates, two names kept emerging: Stephen Lindsay and Kaleb Charters.
Both men had worked for Atre in August 2019 on one of his cannabis properties, performing manual labor including putting up fence posts and planting. While the job lasted less than two weeks, investigators learned it was marked by significant animosity between employer and employees.
According to former police chief and "48 Hours" consultant Steve Cercone, Lindsay and Charters lost a set of Atre's car keys while working for him. To make matters worse, they discovered Atre had stopped payment on their paychecks. Lindsay admitted to investigators he was so upset he wanted to fight Atre.
But detectives later learned about another incident that may have cut deeper: an alleged form of punishment Atre allegedly inflicted on the men. "Apparently, he'd made them do push-ups… in front of other people," Cercone said. "If that were the case, they were most likely humiliated."
The Investigation
Investigators interviewed both Lindsay and Charters in December 2019, approximately two months after Atre's murder. While the keys were eventually found and Atre did pay them for their work—though only partially—the men told investigators their dispute with him was resolved and that they never returned to Santa Cruz after leaving his employment.
Five months after those interviews, all four suspects—Stephen Lindsay, Kaleb Charters, Kaleb's brother Kurtis Charters, and friend Joshua Camps—were arrested for Atre's kidnapping and murder. Investigators described it as a robbery gone wrong.
"Does this story of Tushar humiliating Stephen Lindsay and Kaleb Charters point to motive?" Tracy Smith asked former federal prosecutor Mary Fulginiti during a "48 Hours" segment. "Yes," Fulginiti replied. "Definitely."
Fulginiti suggested the fact that both men served in the U.S. Army Reserve may have intensified their resentment. "When you look at the Army Reserve, right, and you look at the Army or any of the military operations, I mean, they're taught respect," Fulginiti explained. "And here he is feeding into that disrespect… and mistreatment."
All four men charged with Tushar Atre's murder were convicted in separate trials and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Key Takeaways
- Tushar Atre, 50, was a tech executive and cannabis entrepreneur based in Santa Cruz County, California
- He was kidnapped from his cliffside home on October 1, 2019, and found dead hours later on one of his cannabis properties
- Autopsy revealed he sustained stab wounds and a fatal gunshot wound to the back of the head
- Investigators identified Stephen Lindsay and Kaleb Charters as suspects after learning they had worked for Atre and harbored resentment over lost keys, stopped paychecks, and an alleged humiliating punishment involving push-ups
- All four defendants—Lindsay, both Charters brothers, and Joshua Camps—were convicted in separate trials and sentenced to life without parole
What's Next
The case represents a resolved chapter in one of Santa Cruz County's most publicized murders. With all convictions affirmed and sentences carried out, no further court proceedings are anticipated. The investigation, which began with few leads before expanding into Atre's cannabis business dealings, ultimately demonstrated how personal grievances can escalate into lethal violence.