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Chiquita Tate, 34, was an ambitious and affluent black criminal defense attorney who, in the shining years of her career, was brutally stabbed to death at her Baton Rouge law office in Louisiana. She was working on an upcoming double homicide murder trial at the time of her death during the late night hours of February 19, 2009.
Tate's work as a rising defense attorney in Louisiana's judicial system frequently involved defending alleged murderers, drug traffickers, and gang members—unfortunately, she tragically ended up becoming a murder victim herself.
On Monday, Lifetime's Meet, Marry, Murder will revisit the gruesome Louisiana murder in its upcoming episode. This article will further discuss the life of attorney Chiquita Tate and her sudden death.
Chiquita Tate was raised by her grandmother alongside six other siblings
Defense attorney Chiquita Tate was raised amongst six siblings by her grandmother in a poor neighborhood in the city and had a rocky upbringing.
Given that she was intelligent and motivated from a young age, sources claim that she was the first member of her family to attend college and that her successful career was the result of hard work and determination. She went on to the Southern University Law Center and began working as a law clerk there while taking the bar exam and passing it on her first attempt before beginning a successful legal career.
Within a few years, Tate had established her own legal practice in an area near the Mississippi River, obtained a $500,000 jury verdict, and established herself as a strong lawyer. She even appeared to be content in her personal life, getting married to contractor Greg Harris in 2008 in a simple ceremony.
Unfortunately, Tate's bright future came to a sudden halt on February 19, 2009, when she failed to return home after a late night at work, putting together her case for an upcoming double homicide trial. The following morning, Tate's husband and police discovered her bloodied corpse inside her office building.
According to reports, she was stabbed 43 times. There were no signs of a robbery at the scene of the crime, which is supported by the fact that she was still wearing expensive jewelry when she was discovered dead. The only thing that was missing was her wallet and the only evidence found at the scene was long strands of dark hair clutched in the victim's hands.
Chiquita Tate's husband and his family misled authorities during murder investigation
Although fingers were initially pointed at Chiquita Tate's client list, which consisted of individuals with questionable backgrounds, her husband, Greg Harris, soon became a person of interest in the case when authorities discovered that their marriage wasn't nearly as perfect as it seemed. Revelations hinted that Tate was a victim of domestic violence and that their marriage was falling apart.
Moreover, her stolen wallet was recovered in Gardere Lane, a crime-ridden area of town and the same place that Davis said he had visited on the night his wife was murdered. It was alleged that he planted the wallet at the location to mislead authorities, given that all her credit cards were still inside it. Moreover, his confession about visiting that particular area came after a series of lies.
Authorities also received an anonymous call, allegedly from Greg's sister, who gave them false information about Tate's affair. His family further claimed that whoever killed her also attacked Davis in their Baker home. Authorities asserted that he staged the late-night attack to get the attention off of him. Blood evidence found in the house and the accused's sunglasses finally gave him away.
Chiquita Tate's husband, Greg Harris, was charged with second-degree murder that same year and was convicted about two years later and sentenced to serve 40 years in prison after a jury found him responsible for the high-profile defense attorney's murder.
Learn more about Chiquita Tate's murder case on Meet, Marry, Murder's upcoming episode, which is scheduled to air on Lifetime this Monday at 9 pm ET.
