Authorities in Pekin, Illinois, have charged a 93-year-old man, James Pate, with first-degree murder after allegedly stabbing his wife, Cheryl Pate, 80, to death during an argument in their car.
According to an affidavit, the incident occurred on Tuesday, September 2, when the couple began quarreling. Police said Pate admitted striking his wife before retrieving a knife from the car’s center console and cutting her throat.
Officers responding to the scene found Pate covered in blood. In an interview, he allegedly confessed that he and his wife were planning a divorce but claimed his anger had “boiled over,” telling investigators he “couldn’t take it anymore.”
Cheryl Pate was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy conducted by the Peoria County Coroner’s Office concluded she died from multiple sharp and blunt-force injuries described as “unsurvivable.”
The Tazewell County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed a petition to deny Pate pretrial release.
