Louis James Peoples stalked Stockton California, murdering whoever got between him and a dollar. He killed 4 people, making him a Personal Cause /Criminal Enterprise serial killer.
Peoples began this crime spree by breaking into the van of an off-duty police officer and stealing his gun. It was June, 1997 when he stole the gun.
In October 1997, Peoples was suspended from his job at a tow truck company.
Unfortunately for James Loper, Peoples wanted his job back, badly. The October 29 call for a tow truck seemed like every other call. Loper headed out, and did not return. Police were called, and when they found him, Loper was dead. He had tried to take cover under his truck. He’d been shot 10 times.
The next day, Peoples called the tow truck company, saying he’d heard the news, and did that mean they were a driver down, and needed to bring him back? The answer was no.
A few days later, wanting money, Peoples robbed a liquor store. Employee Stephen Chacko tried to flee, but Peoples followed him into the parking lot to kill him. Chacko was shot 5 times.
Just a week went by when Peoples wanted more money and decided to rob the Village Oaks Market. He shot Besun Yu 5 times, and Jun Gao once. Both died at the scene.
One day after the murders of Yu and Gao, police arrest Peoples. They found incriminating evidence in his vehicle. The most damning is a scrapbook full of comments about the robberies and murders.
After a trial, Peoples is convicted and sentenced to death on June 6, 2000. He was found dead in his cell onJanuary 24, 2021 after an apparent suicide.
The Louis James Peoples murder timeline
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01
June 21, 1997
Peoples breaks into a van belonging to an off duty cop. Among the items stolen is the deputy sheriff’s service revolver. This gun would be used laterwould be used later to commit burglary, bank robbery and murder.
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02
October 29, 1997
Peoples uses a ruse to call out a tow truck from the company that had suspended him on October 6. James LoperJames Loper was sent out. Police found Loper dead under his truck. He had been shot 10 times.
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03
October 30, 1997
Peoples called the tow truck company asking if he could come back from his suspension early since they were short one driver. They declined.
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04
November 4, 1997
Stephen Chacko worked at a liquor store when he was shot. He had crawled out to the parking lot after being shot, but the killer pursued him outside. He was shot 5 times. The store was robbed.
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05
November 11, 1997
Besun Yu and Jun Gao, at the Village Oaks Market, were killed and the store robbed. Yu was shot 3 times, Gao just once.
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06
November 12, 1997
Peoples is arrested after a police officer spots his parked van. He was caught with a backpack full of robbery tools and a scrapbook. He wrote numerous incriminating statements in the scrapbook. He confessed to the murders.
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09
January 24, 2021
Peoples is found dead in his prison cell after an apparent suicide
