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Tate bid to vacate convictions fails in court

Friday, October 31, 2025 at 1:25 PM

By Steve Anderson

Convicted murderer Ray Tate was unsuccessful in his bid this week to withdraw his guilty pleas to charges related to his capture in Clinton County, Illinois.

He had pled guilty to multiple charges there and was sentenced after being apprehended following the December 2021 murder of Wayne County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Riley. He now claims he was coerced into the pleas and wants the sentences handed down vacated.

Appearing via ZOOM for a brief hearing from the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Tate, who is now representing himself after firing his appointed attorneys, asked for a continuance in order to draft an amended motion to withdraw. But presiding Associate Judge J. Marc Kelly ruled that he would not grant any more time until a more formal request was made to the court. He then went on to say there were no further settings and dismissed the case.

Tate remains incarcerated at Menard on a life sentence without parole for the killing of Riley.

 

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