If Tate Ever Leaves Illinois Prison, Missouri Wants Him

Barring a successful appeal of his life sentence in Illinois, convicted cop killer Ray Eugene Tate will never be released from prison. However, if he does get out for any reason, St. Charles, Missouri officials want him to stand trial there on a long list of charges related to his flight from justice.

Tate, 40, is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the December 29, 2021 slaying of Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Riley of Cisne. After murdering Deputy Riley, Tate fled to St. Peters, Missouri where he is accused of shooting one victim during a carjacking and kidnapping another victim before fleeing back into Illinois where he was captured in Clinton County.

On Friday, the St. Charles Department of Corrections filed what is called a “Detainer Action Letter” in Tate’s Missouri cases. The letter was sent to the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois where Tate is currently housed. It states: “Please contact the St. Charles County Department of Corrections/Booking Section not less than 10 working days prior to subject’s release from your custody, so that transportation can be arranged.” Officials in St. Charles County have stated they have every intention to prosecute Tate for his alleged crimes.

Charges pending in St. Charles County, Missouri include multiple counts of kidnapping, vehicle hijacking, armed criminal action, robbery, assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm. In all, Tate faces 14 felony charges related to his alleged crimes in Missouri after he murdered Deputy Riley.