Prattville Man Enters Guilty Plea to Killing Pregnant Wife and Unborn Son

Hunter Tatum, an Alabama man, has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder for the deaths of his pregnant wife, Summer Tatum, and their unborn son, Everett. Court documents stated that Summer Tatum was shot twice in the back of the head during a physical altercation with her husband, who had been caught cheating. She was rushed to a Montgomery hospital in life-threatening condition but died shortly after. The baby was delivered via emergency C-section but also died soon after in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

Tatum entered a plea agreement before closing arguments in his capital murder trial, which saw him sentenced to consecutive 99-year prison terms. He waived his right to appeal the 198-year sentence on any grounds. The prosecution had sought the death penalty, but Tatum’s deal will see him spend the rest of his life in prison.

Autauga County District Attorney C.J. Robinson said that Tatum had testified at trial on Tuesday and that afterward “is kind of when some of those pleading negotiations started” with an offer presented by prosecutors. Robinson described the investigation as “gut-wrenching” and “senseless” due to the evidence and surveillance video that captured Summer Tatum’s screams just before she died.

With Tatum’s plea, the victims’ family is now able to close this chapter, but Robinson noted that if Tatum becomes eligible for parole at any point in the future, “as long as I have breath, I will be there with this family to protest in any way possible.