In the quiet town of Prattville, Alabama, the life of 26-year-old Summer Knight Tatum, a Caucasian female, was tragically cut short on October 18, 2021. Five months pregnant with her son, Everett, Summer was looking forward to the next chapter of her life. A registered radiologic technologist, she had shared her excitement about the upcoming birth on social media, unaware of the darkness that would soon envelop her family.
The promising future she envisioned was shattered when she was found unresponsive in her home on Sunset Court, having been shot twice in the back of the head.
The investigation into Summer's death quickly centered on her husband, Hunter James Tatum. It was revealed that the shooting was the culmination of days of arguments after Summer discovered her husband was having an online affair with a woman in England. On the night of her death, a confrontation escalated, leading to the fatal gunshots. First responders arrived to a horrific scene, finding Summer on the bedroom floor, still breathing but unresponsive. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency delivery to save her baby. Tragically, Summer succumbed to her injuries, and her newborn son, Everett, lived for only a few hours.
Hunter Tatum was immediately taken into custody. The investigation uncovered chilling evidence, including audio from a home security camera that captured Summer's desperate pleas for her life and the life of her unborn child. She could be heard begging, 'Don't hurt me, please, don't hurt our baby, please don't hurt our baby,' before the gunshots rang out. Initially charged with murder, the charges against Hunter Tatum were later upgraded to capital murder for the deaths of both his wife and their son. Prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty.
The case proceeded to trial, but before a verdict could be reached, Hunter Tatum entered into a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, and in June 2023, he was sentenced to 198 years in prison—99 years for each life he took, to be served consecutively. The plea deal ensured that he would spend the rest of his life behind bars, bringing a measure of justice to the family of Summer and baby Everett.
