Former Lawrence County resident and murderer Ray Tate continues his efforts to appeal his guilty plea to the 2021 shooting death of Wayne County Sheriffs Deputy Sean Riley.
The 54 year old Hopkinsville, Ky man plead guilty to the killing in 2022 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He later filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea from prison saying that he was not mentally stable and was coerced into making the guilty plea. During a Zoom appearance in Wayne County Circuit Court last week, Tate told the court he intends to file a motion calling 6 witnesses as part of the appeal and the court gave him until a status hearing on Tuesday July 23rd to submit the list to the court. The presiding judge also set another hearing on Friday August 2nd at which Tate is expected to appear in person. He remains incarcerated in the Menard Correctional Center