A 93-year-old man, James Pate, has been charged with first-degree murder following the brutal killing of his 80-year-old wife, Cheryl Pate, in Pekin, Illinois. The incident occurred on Tuesday, reportedly stemming from a heated argument between the couple, who were in the process of filing for divorce.
According to the Pekin Police Department, the couple’s dispute escalated while they were in their car, with James Pate at the wheel. The argument reportedly triggered a release of “pent up anger” in James Pate, who later confessed to authorities that he had been suppressing his rage and had reached a breaking point.
The situation took a violent turn when Cheryl Pate allegedly lunged at her husband, seemingly attempting to scratch his face. James Pate responded by pushing her away and striking her, but the violence did not stop there.
In a chilling confession, James Pate admitted to police that he pulled a knife from the center console of the vehicle and slit his wife’s throat. When Pekin police officers arrived at the scene on South 14th Street, they found Cheryl Pate lying on the pavement next to the passenger side of the car, covered in blood and with a deep cut on her neck.
James Pate was also at the scene, visibly covered in blood. He confessed to the officers that he had slashed his wife’s throat and discarded the knife in a nearby wooded area. The weapon was later recovered by the police.
Cheryl Pate was rushed to a hospital in Peoria, but she was unresponsive upon arrival and was pronounced dead shortly after. The Peoria County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Cheryl Pate had sustained multiple sharp force injuries that were fatal and beyond survival.
The police affidavit stated that the cause of death was determined to be “multiple sharp force injuries of the neck.” James Pate was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of his wife. Prior to this incident, he had no known history of violent criminal behavior.