SANTA CRUZ — The jury for the first of four cases centered on the killing of Pleasure Point cannabis entrepreneur Tushar Atre was sworn in for duty Wednesday afternoon.
Defendant Stephen Lindsay, 26, has been charged with murder, two counts of robbery, two counts of kidnapping, carjacking and burglary. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office linked Lindsay, along with alleged co-conspirators Joshua Camps, Kurtis Charters and Kaleb Charters, with breaking into the home of Atre — the former employer of Lindsay and Kurtis Charters — robbing him, kidnapping him and fatally shooting him in the early morning hours of Oct. 1, 2019.
Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Siegel on Wednesday provided conduct instructions for the jury, composed of 12 jurors and five alternates. Of the group, 10 selected jurors were women and seven men. The group will not reconvene until opening statements from the prosecution and defense on Jan. 6.
After nearly four years of court proceedings, defense attorneys were successful in their bids to separate the four co-defendants into their own trials. Camps, 28, is tentatively scheduled for trial, with a jury panel expected to be called in mid-March. Brothers Kaleb and Kurtis Charters are set for a scheduling hearing Friday morning.