Dateline: Shining Star - Who was Chiquita Tate and what happened to her? Disturbing details of the 2009 homicide, revealed

NBC’s Dateline episode, titled Shining Star, narrates the horrifying event of defense attorney Chiquita Tate’s brutal murder in 2009. It was revealed that her husband, Greg Harris, committed the crime. He was then found guilty and sent to jail in 2011.

The synopsis of the Dateline episode reads:

"Chiquita Tate rose from poverty to become a successful criminal defense attorney in Baton Rouge. She's found brutally stabbed one night in her office and investigators start scouring her roster of clients. But her killer may be closer to home."

More on this in our story.

Dateline: Shining Star- Who was Chiquita Tate and what happened to her?

As per Dateline, the 34-year-old criminal defense lawyer from Louisiana was a hardworking woman who, despite coming from a family of seven siblings and no money, worked her way through college and later became a defense lawyer.

She was known for taking tough cases and giving everything to help her clients win. However, the night of February 19, 2009 turned out to be a horrifying night for the lawyer as she was found dead in her office.

As per Dateline, Tate was brutally stabbed 43 times, and the sight of the murder was described as horrifying by the police. Her husband, Greg Harris, called the police the next day when he was unable to contact his wife and also couldn't access her office in Baton Rouge. He said that he had been trying to call her since the previous night, as she was staying at her office to prepare for an important case, but she never picked up his call. Therefore, he came to her office the next day.

The sight was horrifying even for the police when they entered for the first time and discovered her body. Noticing the position of her arms, and also due to the fact that one of her hands was carrying strands of hair which came out of a weave, the investigators noted that Tate tried to defend herself.

As per Dateline, the police said that this was not a case of robbery as Tate still had her jewellery on and only her wallet was missing. The first suspect was her husband, who revealed that he last saw his wife on the night of her murder as he had brought food for her and later went back home.

With further investigation, the police found out about a domestic violence report against Harris, but he accepted it and told the police that the couple had reconciled after the incident, but he failed to appear in court.

Furthermore, the investigators also found Tate’s wallet in the crime-infested area: Gardere Lane. When asked about being in Gardere Lane, Harris said that he went there that night to buy some steroids, diverting from his initial statement of going straight home after meeting Tate.

The police kept Harris locked up when they got a call about Tate being involved with two other women, but when they investigated, they found that the lawyer was trying to help the women in the adoption process. As per Dateline, the investigators knew someone tried to send them in the wrong direction and tracked the phone call, finding out that it was Harris's sister from Dallas who placed the call, but she denied it.

Dateline: Shining Star- Greg Harris found guilty of killing Chiquita Tate

After finding out about the wrong tip, the investigators acquired a warrant to check Harris’s home and car. It didn’t take much time to find that Haris committed the heinous crime. When luminol was used, the investigators found traces of blood all over the place and also on a pair of sunglasses in his car, which had DNA from the couple. They also found out that Tate had bought a new place to live in and was thinking of moving out of their home.

Furthermore, they also found a weave hidden under his bed. It was believed that the motive might be the insurance money that Harris would receive after his wife’s death.

Greg was then arrested for second-degree murder and went through a trial in 2011. As per Dateline, he had hired a renowned defense lawyer to fight his case, but was eventually convicted by the jury of manslaughter and sent to prison for 40 years without any possibility of parole.

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Also Read: Dateline: Return to Early Shift – 5 harrowing details about Michelle Mockbee’s murder, explored

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