PEKIN, Ill. – A Pekin man allegedly cut his wife’s throat on Tuesday because he “couldn’t take it anymore.”
93-year-old James Pate was charged with two counts of Murder on Wednesday in the death of 80-year-old Cheryl Pate. Tazewell County prosecutors have also filed a petition to deny pretrial release to James Pate.
An affidavit of probable cause filed by Tazewell County prosecutors alleges that James had “a lot of pent up anger” and that he and Cheryl were planning to file for divorce.
James allegedly told police that he parked the vehicle after the pair got into an argument, with Cheryl reportedly lunging towards him to try and scratch his face.
James then allegedly pulled a knife out of the center console and cut her throat. He then reportedly threw the knife used into a wooded area near the driveway, which was found by police.
Cheryl was found by police lying on the pavement on the passenger side of the vehicle, covered in blood from the neck down with a laceration on her neck.
Cheryl was taken to OSF Saint Francis and later pronounced dead. An autopsy conducted on Wednesday shows Cheryl suffered multiple sharp force injuries that were unsurvivable.
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