George Pate of of 415 Eighth St. S. in Columbus was sentenced to life in prison today after pleading guilty to the 2009 murder of his wife, Peggy Pate.
George Pate appeared in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court this afternoon and was sentenced to a mandatory life sentence. The death sentence is a punishment reserved for those who commit murder while in commission of a felony.
Assistant District Attorney Rhonda Hayes-Ellis said George Pate had confessed to emergency medical technician who responded to the scene in March 2009.
Peggy Pate was found shot to death with a large-caliber handgun; George Pate was found nearby, unconscious from ingesting a host of pharmaceuticals.
George Pate, who was 56 at the time of the killing, will be eligible for parole once he has served 10 years of his sentence. Those sentenced to life with the possibility of parole can be eligible for parole at age 65 or when they have served at least 10 years, whichever comes the latest.
Coming into court today, prosecutors said they did not know George Pate would plead guilty to the crime.
George Pate, who spent more than a week in Baptist Behavioral Health-Willowbrook before being transported to the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center, was back in jail awaiting transport this afternoon. he is represented by Columbus attorney Donna Smith.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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