CALIFORNIA—On June 10, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced a conviction of Gene Atkins, 36, for the attempted murder his girlfriend and grandmother and of holding customers hostage inside a Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake in 2018.
The jury found him guilty on 40 counts, including three counts of attempted murder, 24 counts of false imprisonment of a hostage, and six counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon. Atkins was also found guilty of attempted carjacking twice, fleeing the police, taking a vehicle without permission, and repeatedly using force likely to cause severe harm. The jury deadlocked on the charge of second-degree murder in the death of Melyda Marciela Corado, 27, an assistant manager at Trader Joe’s, as 10 jurors voted guilty, while the 2 voted to acquit.
Atkins did not shoot Corado, but his actions led to her death and the suffering of the other victims. On July 21, 2018, Atkins got into an argument with his grandmother, Mary Madison, 76, and shot her and his 17-year-old girlfriend, injuring the girlfriend and prompting the defendant to flee the scene with the younger woman. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, around 3 p.m., Officers Sinlen Tse and Officer Saran Winans of the Hollywood Patrol Division began following the vehicle.
During the chase, Atkins attempted to steal a vehicle at a gas station, endangered the occupants, and continued to flee from officers. He collided with a utility pole in the 2700 block of Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, and, while firing at the officers, ran into a nearby Trader Joe’s and took two dozen shoppers’ hostage.
Atkins exchanged fire with the officers during which Corado was shot and died from a bullet fired from Officer Tse’s weapon. The officer and his partner were later cleared following an LAPD investigation. Three hours later, the standoff ended.
In 2019, Atkins pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but was deemed competent to stand trial two years later. He attempted to represent himself before hiring an attorney.
On June 26, 2026, a hearing will be held to determine whether he will face a second trial for second-degree murder. He faces 80 years to life in prison. In 2024, the city of Los Angeles settled a wrongful death suit with the family of Corado for $9.5 million.
