A 77-year-old Filipino-American man, Bert Atienza, was fatally beaten in a Virginia Walmart on 7 June after a minor dispute escalated violently. The incident began when Bert asked a 17-year-old shop employee to apologise after nearly striking his wife with a shopping trolley; instead, the employee threw a can at them. When the employee's parents arrived at the store minutes later, they attacked Bert, leading to blunt head trauma that proved fatal the following day.

Bert's wife of 42 years, Josephine, witnessed the assault. Erika Mitchell (42) and Travis White (44) now face second-degree murder charges, whilst the teenage employee faces charges including assault, battery, aggravated malicious wounding, and conspiracy to commit felony. The defence has argued the situation was spontaneous and unpremeditated, describing it as an emotional response to the employee's distress.