Hunter James Tatum, 26, was sentenced to 198 years in prison for the shooting deaths of his 26-year-old wife, Summer Tatum and the couple’s unborn baby
An Alabama man was sentenced last week to 198 years in prison for killing his pregnant wife and their unborn baby after the woman confronted him about allegedly cheating on her.
Hunter James Tatum was convicted of two counts of murder as part of a plea deal, with each count carrying a 99-year sentence to run consecutively, District Attorney C.J. Robinson said in a June 21 statement.
Hunter, 26, had been indicted on capital murder charges in the 2021 shooting deaths of his pregnant wife, 26-year-old Summer Tatum, and the couple’s unborn baby, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. Prosecutors were reportedly seeking the death penalty.
“Ninety-nine year sentences back-to-back accomplishes the same thing as life without, in my view,” Robinson said, per the Montgomery Advertiser. “And for the family, there is finality. There will be no appeals that would come with a death sentence.”
On Oct. 21, 2021, Hunter fatally shot Summer, who was five months pregnant, in a fit of rage after she learned he was allegedly having an online affair with a woman in England, the Montgomery Advertiser reports, citing prosecutors.
According to court documents cited by WSFA, Summer was shot twice in the back of the head at the couple’s home in Prattville.
Tatum’s defense attorneys claimed that the shots were fired in self-defense, alleging that during an argument, their client’s wife pulled out a .38 caliber revolver, and when he tried to grab it from her, it went off, Alabama Local reports.
Summer was rushed to a local hospital, where she was placed on life support. Her baby was delivered and brought to the NICU. Both died a short time later, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Prosecutors presented key evidence during the three-day trial, including audio recordings from a home security camera that captured Summer pleading for her life.
“Please don’t hurt me. I’ll do anything you want. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt my baby,” Summer can be heard saying on the recording, according to Alabama Local.
Hunter is then captured on the recording saying, “Nope” multiple times before two pops are heard, about three seconds apart, the Montgomery Advertiser reports.
“I mean, it’s gut-wrenching, there’s, there’s no way to get around the emotional impact and just how draining it is to talk about this case, look at the evidence and, and listen to the video, the surveillance video that you can hear her screams just before she died,” Robinson said, per WSFA. “It’s just, it’s just senseless. There was no reason for it.”
In a GoFundMe campaign created for her funeral expenses, Summer’s family wrote that she planned to name the baby boy Everett. He was her first child.
Summer was described on the page as someone who “always had a huge smile on her face and loved life.”
“Her family and friends will definitely miss her and what could have been,” the fundraiser reads. “She was always destined for great things. She will truly be missed by everyone, but missed most by those who knew her best.”
Robinson said on Facebook that the case took an “emotional toll” on his team.
“My heart also goes out to the family and friends of Summer and baby Everett,” he wrote. “Thank you for trusting us and believing in us as we spoke for you.”