In November of 2021, New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputies responding to a shots-fired call discovered Pearsall suffering from a gunshot wound at a local apartment complex located off of Piner Road near Monkey Junction.
Law enforcement believed Pearsall’s shooting to be gang-related. At the court hearing Monday morning, prosecutors said Tate and his co-defendant, Regina Michelle Davis, are associated with the gang Thrax.
While reviewing the facts of the case, prosecutor Sean Spiering said Tate wore an ankle monitor during that time, and that investigators extracted data from the monitor confirming Tate’s presence at the scene around the time of the shooting.
Using the tracker’s data, investigators later noticed that Tate was pacing in a nearby backyard for over an hour prior to the shooting.
Spiering said that, after conducting a forensic search of the backyard, investigators discovered a jacket with gunshot residue and a lighter; touch DNA was collected from the lighter that matched Tate’s.
Tate and his girlfriend, Regina Davis, were arrested after NHCSO conducted a search warrant on his residence on November 27, 2021.
Tate was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deadly shooting, and Davis was later charged with accessory.
On Monday morning, Tate pled guilty to a lesser charge - Class D Voluntary Manslaughter – and received a minimum sentence of 59 months with a maximum of 83 months, which is a five-to-seven year sentence.
Tate was granted pre-trial credit for 1,304 days that he spent in custody awaiting his sentencing.
Because Davis’ case is pending, the judge remitted all of Tate’s jail fees and did not require disposition of evidence.
One of Tate’s public defenders, Barry Keith Henline, told WHQR, “it was a fair resolution” for all parties involved, and said he was sorry for the Pearsall family’s loss.
