Teacher facing murder charge in wife’s death
Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2005
A Prairie Grove teacher was arrested Tuesday in Alexandria, La., in the Dec. 14 death of his wife while the couple visited relatives.
David W. Tate, 42, was being held on suspicion of seconddegree murder. He was in the Rapides Parish jail Wednesday in lieu of $ 250, 000 bond.
Tate's attorney, George Higgins, said a medical finding that Josette Tate's death was a homicide is premature.
A full autopsy hasn't been completed, Higgins said Wednesday. The preliminary finding on which police are relying doesn't take into account Josette Tate's medical history, he said.
Higgins said Josette Tate, 34, had medical problems, but he wouldn't elaborate.
"This was a happy couple,"Higgins said. "David is innocent. There's absolutely no motive here."
Rapides Parish sheriff 's detective Stacy Bender said an autopsy shows that Josette Tate was strangled and hit in the head with a blunt object. He declined to discuss a motive.
Bender said police have obtained evidence through interviews with family and friends of the Tates.
David Tate teaches math at Prairie Grove High School, Higgins said. School officials couldn't be reached by phone Wednesday.
The Tates lived in Westville, Okla., Bender said. They are from the Alexandria area originally, he said. Bender said the Tates arrived in Alexandria on Dec. 12 to visit David Tate's relatives. An ambulance was summoned to the relatives' home Dec. 14, where Josette Tate was found unresponsive.
She died at a hospital. A coroner who conducted an exam contacted police, Bender said. When contacted by police, David Tate gave a detective a five-hour interview last week without an attorney present, Higgins said. "David has fully and completely cooperated with the police,"Higgins said. "He's the one who summoned the ambulance for his wife in the first place."Formal charges haven't been filed, Higgins said. The funeral for Josette Tate was Dec. 18 in Alexandria, Bender said.
To contact this reporter : mbradford@arkansasonline. com
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