California Cannabis Workers Describe Brutal Killing of CEO Who Forced Employees to Do Pushups for Paychecks
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA — A chilling new testimony has revealed that Tushar Atre, a wealthy tech and cannabis entrepreneur kidnapped and murdered in 2019, allegedly created a hostile work environment that fueled deep resentment among employees — some of whom later plotted his brutal killing.
According to courtroom testimony, one of Atre’s accused killers, Kaleb Charters, 25, told jurors that the CEO once forced workers to perform 500 pushups before releasing their paychecks — an act prosecutors say exemplified a pattern of humiliation and control that contributed to the deadly attack.
‘Do 500 Pushups’: Workers Describe Toxic Work Conditions
Charters, a former Army National Guard member, is currently on trial for kidnapping, robbery, and murder. He testified that Atre became enraged after two employees, including himself and his brother-in-law Stephen Lindsay, lost the keys to a farm truck known as the “Monster Truck.”
“He said, ‘You guys are in the Army — do 500 pushups,’” Charters recalled on the stand, according to KRON.
Charters said he and other workers toiled long hours — sometimes 10 days straight planting cannabis — for only $200 per day, and often faced verbal abuse when Atre was displeased.
“He was going to cancel our checks,” Charters said, describing Atre as “flipping out.”
Witnesses Say Atre ‘Humiliated’ His Staff
Multiple witnesses testified that Atre routinely belittled employees, withheld wages, and fired anyone who challenged him.
“They were humiliated in front of people,” Detective Ethan Rumrill of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office told jurors, summarizing witness statements.
Another worker, Sam Borghese, said Atre ruled through intimidation.
“He invoked fear in his employees so they would work harder,” Borghese testified.
The atmosphere, prosecutors say, turned toxic — with some workers even “joking” about robbing or hurting him before his death.
Kidnapping and Killing in a Botched Robbery
In the early morning hours of October 1, 2019, Atre was abducted from his Santa Cruz home by a group that included Charters, Lindsay, Charters’ brother Kurtis Charters, and friend Joshua Camps. The men allegedly intended to rob Atre of $1 million they believed he kept on his property.
Atre’s body was later found at one of his cannabis facilities in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
A recorded confession from Joshua Camps, played in court last week, detailed the violent nature of the crime.
“We zip-tied his hands, shoved a sock in his mouth,” Camps said. “He was covered in blood, saying, ‘Please let me go.’”
Camps admitted to stabbing Atre in the neck when he tried to flee and later shooting him multiple times with an AR-15 rifle, including a fatal shot to the jaw.
“He wasn’t going to last much longer,” Camps said. “I knew he was going to die.”
Four Men Charged, Two Already Serving Life
So far, Stephen Lindsay and Kurtis Charters have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Kaleb Charters and Joshua Camps remain in custody, both facing kidnapping, robbery, burglary, carjacking, and murder charges. Camps’ trial is scheduled to continue on November 12 in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
The brutal case has rocked California’s cannabis industry, exposing the tension and exploitation that can exist behind high-value operations. Prosecutors described the killing as a “premeditated, greed-driven act of vengeance.”
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