Gene Evin Atkins has been sentenced to more than 200 years to life in prison for the 2018 crime spree that ended in a deadly hostage standoff at a Trader Joe’s store in Los Angeles.
Atkins, 36, was convicted of second-degree murder over the death of assistant manager Melyda “Mely” Maricela Corado, who was struck by a police bullet during a gun battle outside the Silver Lake shop.
He was also convicted of dozens of other offences arising from the incident, including attempted murder, assault with a firearm, false imprisonment, attempted carjacking and mayhem. Prosecutors said the total sentence reflected 41 counts linked to the events of 21 July 2018.
Silver Lake Trader Joe’s standoff
The violence began in South Los Angeles, where Atkins shot his 76-year-old grandmother and a 17-year-old girl before fleeing in his grandmother’s car with the injured teenager inside.
He led police on a pursuit through the city, firing at officers and attempting to take another vehicle at a petrol station. The chase ended when he crashed into a utility pole near the Trader Joe’s on Hyperion Avenue.
Atkins then opened fire as he ran towards the store. Officers returned fire, and Corado was fatally wounded in the exchange. Atkins barricaded himself inside the supermarket, where he held more than two dozen employees and shoppers hostage for over three hours before surrendering.
The murder conviction was secured under California’s “provocative act” theory. Prosecutors argued that Atkins was legally responsible for Corado’s death because his actions created the armed confrontation that led officers to fire.
Deputy district attorney Ben Schwartz told jurors that Corado would still be alive if Atkins had stopped and surrendered. The defence accepted that the episode was a terrible tragedy but argued that Atkins had not fired the bullet that killed her and should not be held responsible for the death.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Atkins had tried to kill innocent people, exchanged gunfire with police and terrified those trapped inside the shop, actions which culminated in Corado’s death.
An investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office concluded that the officers involved had acted lawfully in self-defence and in defence of others. They were not charged over Corado’s death.
Corado’s family later reached a $9.5 million settlement with the city of Los Angeles in a wrongful-death lawsuit. Atkins is expected to serve his sentence in the California state prison system.
