Stephen Chacko, a 39-year-old male, was tragically killed on November 4, 1997, in Stockton, California, during a robbery at MFL Liquor and Tobacco, a store he co-owned. His death was part of a series of violent crimes committed by Louis James Peoples, a 35-year-old tow-truck driver who had recently been suspended from his job. Peoples was arrested and later convicted for multiple murders that occurred within a short span of time in Stockton.
Authorities linked Peoples to the killing of Stephen Chacko after witness descriptions matched his vehicle to those seen at the crime scenes. Investigators discovered a. 40-caliber handgun believed to have been used in the murders, along with a map in Peoples' apartment that marked potential future targets. The map suggested that Peoples had planned additional crimes beyond the four murders he had already committed.
Peoples' crime spree included the fatal shooting of James Loper, a 29-year-old tow-truck driver, on October 29, 1997, followed by the murder of Stephen Chacko during the liquor store robbery. Just days later, on November 11, 1997, he killed Besun Yu, a 56-year-old grocer, and Jun Gao, a 46-year-old friend from China, during another robbery at Village Oaks Market. All of these killings occurred within a five-mile radius of Peoples' home in North Stockton.
Following his arrest, Peoples was charged with four counts of murder and one charge of bank robbery. In 2000, a jury recommended the death penalty for Peoples, who was convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of Stephen Chacko, James Loper, Besun Yu, and Jun Gao. He was sentenced to death and incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison.
Years later, in January 2021, Peoples was found unresponsive in his cell at San Quentin. Officials determined that he had died from asphyxia due to hanging. His death marked the end of a case that had haunted Stockton for decades, bringing closure to the families of his victims, including the loved ones of Stephen Chacko, the 39-year-old male victim who lost his life in a senseless act of violence.
