STARKVILLE — If a Columbus man sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife had not pleaded guilty, the court would have handed down “the fastest guilty verdict in Lowndes County,” according to attorney Donna Smith.
George Pate”s hearing took place in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court, Thursday afternoon. He was charged in Lowndes County with murdering his wife, Peggy Pate, in 2009. George Pate, of 415 Eighth St. S. in Columbus, shot Peggy Pate to death with a large-caliber hand gun after she asked for a divorce, said Smith, George Pate”s attorney.
Smith said Pate was convinced his wife was unfaithful.
“She asked for a divorce that night and he lost it,” said Smith.
Pate never made any attempt to deny what he had done, although he took a large dose of pharmaceuticals soon after the shooting and had to be revived by first responders, Smith said. Once awake, Pate confessed profusely, Smith added.
“He confessed to every first responder that showed up at his house — to nurses and cops, to doctors before and after they pumped his stomach and found the intoxicants.”
Pate wasn”t scheduled to appear in court Thursday, but he told Smith Wednesday he had decided to plead guilty. Smith called the court Thursday morning to see if a judge was available to hear the case. Judge Jim Kitchens convened the proceedings shortly after 2 p.m. Witnesses report the entire process lasted roughly 10 minutes.
Kitchens handed down the mandatory life sentence with eligibility for parole beyond the age of 65 and after 10 years had been served. George Pate was 56 at the time of the shooting.
Pate will likely serve out his sentence in the Rankin County Jail due to a medical condition, Smith said. Pate underwent an ileostomy — a surgery where the small intestine is reconnected to bypass the large intestine — for unknown causes.
Pate was “heartbroken” by the sentence, but wanted to avoid forcing his two sons to endure a trial, Smith said.
Assistant District Attorney Rhonda Hayes-Ellis said she was unaware going into court that Pate planned to plead guilty.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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