In Lancaster, South Carolina, a group of kids playing in the woods found the body of 33-year-old Rickey James, which was covered in leaves and brush. The kids ran home and told their parents, who then called the police.
The Mur*der of Rickey James
With a butcher knife, James had been st*abbed 39 times. He hadn’t been seen since about a month ago, after hanging out with his friend David Adam Pate, a 24-year-old with ties to a local gang and a long list of cr*iminal convictions who proudly wore “Satan” and “974” tattoos on his forehead.
Pate was in county jail when the kids found the body. He had been arrested two weeks before for disorderly conduct. The police suspected Pate of ki*lling James right away, but they didn’t want to talk to him too soon because they didn’t have enough evidence. Detectives didn’t question him until they got the results of James’ autopsy. Since Pate was already in police custody, they knew exactly where to find him.
David Pate Admits to Mur*der
Once DNA had the autopsy results, they knew Pate was their man. Pate gladly admitted that he k*illed Rickey James while being questioned. He even bragged about using a knife like the one Michael Myers used in the Halloween movies. He wasn’t afraid to say that he was proud of his work.
Pate told the police that he had lied about drinking wine to get James to come into the woods with him. After a few drinks, Pate attacked James with the knife and sta*bbed him 39 times. In an effort to ki*ll James, he tried to cut off his head but failed.
Pate told the police, “I wanted to cut his dad gum head off.” He then said that James k*lled him and told the police:
‘It was his fault. Why would anyone go drinking and go into the woods with someone who looks like me? ‘
When police searched Pate’s house, they found 20 knives, some of which were homemade and some that were bought. They also found about 20 scary face masks.
Pate told the police that he hid James’s body because he planned to k*ill someone else in the same spot.
He then told the police that he had tied James up from the neck to the ankles with a rope so that he could drag his body out of the woods. But he was too drunk and tired to keep trying to drag James’s body to a nearby creek.
Pate’s Mugshot Goes Viral
Pate needed a new mugshot when police charged him with murd*er. Never one to turn down five seconds of fame, Pate opened his mouth and revealed a split tongue. The mugshot also showed the word “Satan” and the number “974” (Insane Gangster Disciple code) he wore tattooed on his forehead.
He wanted the mugshot to shock everyone who saw it, and he did that. The police say it’s one of the scariest mugshots they’ve ever seen. People in the neighborhood said Pate was “weird” and “creepy.”
The Devil Sentenced to Life Without Parole
If a family member was charged with a terrible c*rime like mur*der, most people would be shocked. Pate’s brothers were not shocked, though, because the violent behavior was not like him at all. It got so bad that Pate’s brothers called him “the devil” and agreed that he deserved every punishment.
After committing many cri*mes, Pate spent his whole life in and out of prison and never seemed to care about anyone but himself. They told the press that they hoped he died in prison and that he deserved whatever punishment he got.
After two years, Pate admitted to ki*lling the man. He was given a life sentence in prison without the chance of parole by a judge in Lancaster, South Carolina. Pate smiled and smirked as the judge told him what the sentence would be.
Even though Pate is in jail at Broad River Correctional Facility right now, his interest in face tattoos has not gone away, as his current mugshot photo shows.
