An Alabama man has pleaded guilty to shooting his pregnant wife twice in the head, killing her and their unborn son.
Hunter James Tatum, 26, entered his plea to two counts of murder Wednesday morning in Autauga County.
He was initially charged with capital murder and prosecutors were seeking the death penalty.
Tatum’s plea came as his trial, which began last week, was wrapping up.
Tatum’s wife, Summer, was five months pregnant with her first child – Everett.
The deadly shooting happened on Oct. 18, 2021, in the bedroom of the couple’s on Sunset Court in Prattville.
Summer Tatum was taken to the hospital but later died.
The baby was delivered in an emergency procedure but did not survive.
District Attorney C.J. Robinson said the couple got into an argument after Summer Tatum caught her husband having an online affair. She put his gaming console in the sink, under water, and an argument ensued.
A home surveillance camera system captured the audio of the argument. Summer Tatum could be heard on that footage begging for her life.
“She was saying, ‘Please don’t hurt me. I’ll doing anything you want. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt my baby,’’' Robinson said.
Hunter Tatum’s defense claimed the couple was arguing and that their client tried to take a .38 caliber revolver from his wife’s hand when it went off.
“We clearly don’t believe that,’’ the district attorney said. “We didn’t think the self-defense argument held water.”
Hunter Tatum took the stand in his own defense on Tuesday. The plea negotiations began afterward.
Those negotiations resulted in the capital murder charge being dismissed.
Hunter Tatum pleaded guilty to murder in the deaths of his wife and his baby and was sentenced to 99 years on each conviction.
Those sentences were ordered to be served consecutively for a total of 198 years.
“We just believed this was the best outcome,’’ Robinson said.
“There was a lot of mitigation evidence that we anticipated coming in and we knew it would be very difficult for the jury to get 10 votes for the death penalty.”
“There’s no appeals, it’s over,’’ Robinson said. “It’s finality.”
Hunter Tatum has remained in jail since his arrest.
In a GoFundMe created by the victim’s friends, Summer Tatum was described as always smiling and loving life. “She was so excited about becoming a mother and it was just a mere 4 months away. Her family and friends will definitely miss her and what could have been,’’ according to the post.” She was always destined for great things. She will truly be missed by everyone, but missed most by those who knew her best.”
“It’s gut-wrenching. It’s so sad that it was for a domestic situation that easily could have been ended by walking away,’’ Robinson said.
“Instead, it ended with the death of a pregnant woman and her child. It did not have to end like that.”
Source:
al.com, Carol Robinson, June 21, 2023
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
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