Opening statements began Monday in the criminal trial of Gene Evin Atkins, the man charged in the 2018 Trader Joe’s standoff in Silver Lake that left assistant manager Melyda “Mely” Corado dead. Prosecutors laid out a tight narrative linking what they say was Atkins’ violent rampage earlier that day to the chaos that followed inside the crowded grocery store. The defense passed on making an opening statement, and the People moved straight into calling witnesses to begin building their case for the jury.
Prosecutors told jurors that Atkins shot his grandmother and kidnapped his girlfriend before leading officers on a pursuit that ended when his car slammed into a pole outside the Hyperion Avenue Trader Joe’s, then ran into the market. In their telling, Atkins fired at officers and held customers and employees hostage as the standoff unfolded, and they called two witnesses as testimony got underway. As reported by NBC Los Angeles, defense lawyers also declined to deliver opening statements on Monday.
Prosecutors’ Version of the Day
According to prosecutors, the chain of events started on July 21, 2018, when Atkins allegedly shot two family members in South L.A., put his wounded girlfriend into his grandmother’s car and sped off, triggering a high-speed chase through Hollywood and Silver Lake that ended in the crash near the Trader Joe’s. Court records and past testimony indicate Atkins was hit in the left arm as he ran from the wrecked car into the store, and surveillance video captured the frantic moments that followed inside. He now faces more than 40 counts, including murder, attempted murder, and numerous counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm and false imprisonment, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times.
Who Actually Fired the Fatal Shot
Investigators determined that the bullet that killed Corado came from an LAPD officer’s handgun, not Atkins’ weapon, prosecutors say. That detail has long complicated both the legal case and the public outrage that followed the shooting. Corado’s family reached a $9.5 million settlement with the city in 2024, and jurors are expected to hear testimony about the officers’ use of force and split-second decisions that afternoon. In a sworn statement submitted last year, the officer who fired said he “had no alternative but to fire” to stop what he described as a deadly threat, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Felony Murder and Why Prosecutors Can Try Him for Murder
Despite the LAPD bullet, prosecutors are pursuing a felony-murder theory that holds Atkins legally responsible for the deadly chain of events they say he set in motion, even though he did not fire the shot that struck Corado. That “provocative act” or felony-murder doctrine has been central to earlier rulings that kept the murder charge alive and is one reason the case has crawled toward trial after years of competency hearings and procedural delays. Local court watchers say the case was postponed repeatedly before finally landing on a jury calendar this month, as outlined by Los Angeles County Politics.
Prosecutors say they plan to call former hostages and responding officers in the coming weeks, as jurors sort through which actions and which actors are legally responsible for the death and injuries that day. Court watchers expect the case to hinge on witness timelines, surveillance footage and whether jurors ultimately buy the district attorney’s theory that Atkins can be tied to the fatal outcome, as NBC Los Angeles noted.
