The Murder of Chiquita Tate
For this case I watched an episode of Devil in the Details. It’s season 1 episode 2, titled ‘Murder, Cajun Style.’
A young defense attorney is found dead in her office.
Background
Chiquita Tate
Chiquita came from a poverty stricken family, but she was the first in her family to graduate from college and she was accepted to the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
She was described as being an aggressive, but confident and kind-hearted defense attorney. She loved her job, but she represented a lot of people with very lengthy criminal histories. This didn’t matter to her, because she wanted to help those in need of someone to represent them.
The Murder
On February 20, 2009, the police were dispatched to Chiquita’s law office around 7am. Chiquita was found lying on the floor in her office. It was very apparent she had been brutally attacked. There was blood all over the floor and on the wall.
Chiquita’s wedding ring and diamond earrings were still found on her, her purse had been dumped on the floor, but her wallet was missing. It appeared like the killer had tried to stage a robbery because there was also $75 dollars found in her office. Chiquita had about 40 injuries to her body and face. She had tried to fight back, and her nail was broken on her pinky finger.
The police made a few more shocking discoveries, there was strands of hair found in Chiquita’s hand, and blood was found in the sink of a nearby kitchen.
The Investigation
While the police were at the office, a group of Chiquita’s loved ones arrived. They were being held outside, and said that they knew Chiquita was gone when the police wouldn’t give them any information.
Among the group was Chiquita’s husband, Greg Harris. He tried to get into the building, but police stopped him. They also said he was frantic and started to hyperventilate.
The police were able to question him once he calmed down. He told the police that he had visited Chiquita on the day of the murder, and brought her food. He said a client came by around 7pm, to drop off some money for her, and that he went outside to get it. Greg didn’t have a key to get back into the building, so he grabbed a book and put in the doorway to get back in.
Greg said he left the office around 8:30pm, and that he was the one who called the police early the next morning when Chiquita didn’t come home.
A responding officer went to Chiquita’s office that morning, found Chiquita dead, and called it in.
Greg’s story was looked into. The woman who dropped off the $75 dollars that night confirmed that Greg was the one who took the money. Two other attorneys also confirmed that Greg did put a book in the doorway when he went outside, but that it was never taken out when he went home.
A High Profiled Case
The police looked into Chiquita’s records, and spoke to her assistant. They discovered that three weeks before she died, she had been working on a high profile murder case. She was representing Denako and Darius Duheart, two brothers known for dealing drugs and killing people who dared to testify against them.
They were on trial for killing a man named Jason Fourmy. Jason had been killed and burned right before testifying against the brothers.
The Duheart brothers were set to be in court on the Monday after Chiquita was killed, she was killed the Friday before. The police looked into the brothers. Denako had been in jail at the time of the murder, and Darius was eventually ruled out.
The Duheart brothers
The Wallet
A tip came in from a woman after she found Chiquita’s wallet on Gardere Lane. This area was in a bad part of town, known for it’s high crime and homicide rate.
The woman found the wallet around 10:30pm on the night of the murder, and recognized Chiquita’s name, she had spoken at her son’s school about law. The woman didn’t know that Chiquita was dead, she was just being a good samaritan and called in the tip.
The police now had a two hour window of when Chiquita’s murder could have occurred. Greg told them he left at 8:30pm, and the wallet was found at 10:30pm.
The police also received a call from the crime lab, about the hair found in Chiquita’s hand. The lab revealed that the hair was an artificial hair, most likely coming from a wig or hair extension. The pool of suspects was now larger, and the police had to determine if Chiquita’s killer was a male or female.
A Love Triangle Gone Wrong?
Once news spread about Chiquita’s murder, more tips came in. A female named Amber called the police, and said a woman named Sherilyn had bragged about being involved in the case. Amber said Sherilyn was one of Chiquita’s clients, and that they were also involved in a relationship.
The police were able to track down Sherilyn, and her girlfriend Gladys at their home, and questioned them separately. They asked Sherilyn how she knew Chiquita, and Sherilyn said Chiquita had represented her in a child adoption case.
Gladys confirmed this, and both of them had only good things to say about how much Chiquita helped them. The two women also denied that Chiquita was involved romantically with either of them. There was also no wigs found in the home.
The police believed that Amber had reported a false lead, possibly trying to throw them off.
The Truth Comes Out
The police obtained a court order to trace the cell phone call from “Amber.” The phone led them to a woman named Cassandra Landry in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Once the police traveled to Texas, they spoke to Cassandra, who confirmed she was the owner of the phone. They asked her about an Amber, and she said that her daughter Serena had a friend named Amber.
Serena just so happened to be home that day, and the police questioned her. Detective Elvin Howard immediately recognized Serena’s voice as being the one who called in the tip under the name Amber.
Serena admitted to being the tipster, but denied her story about Chiquita being involved in a relationship with Sherilyn. The police asked Serena how she knew Chiquita, and she said she was Greg Harris’ sister.
The police once again looked into Greg, and discovered he had history of domestic violence, and that he had been accused of hitting Chiquita.
Greg was brought in for questioning. He denied hitting Chiquita, and said he told them the truth when they questioned him the first time. The police obtained Greg’s phone records, and discovered he had been at the office, drove to Gardere Lane, and then drove home.
A clip of Chiquita’s story on Crime Watch Daily
The police confronted Greg about being on Gardere Lane. He said he was there, but only because his steroid dealer lived there. Greg knew he slipped up as soon as he said this. A search warrant was obtained for Greg’s home and car.
In Greg and Chiquita’s home, the police found wigs and hair pieces. One of them matched the exact hair found in Chiquita’s hand. In the car, a pair of safety glasses were found. They had blood on them, and the test revealed the blood was a mixture of Chiquita’s and Greg’s.
Greg Harris was arrested for the murder of his wife.
Greg Harris
Conviction
The police believed that the couple got into a fight while Greg was visiting her at work that night. They believed that Chiquita wanted to leave him, and that he wouldn’t let her because she supported them.
Greg was angry, and pulled out a knife and began stabbing her. She fought back, but he overpowered her. Then, he staged the scene to make it look like a robbery.
The murder weapon has never been found, and Greg’s sister was never charged with any crime.
Greg was charged with second degree murder, but was convicted of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 40 years without parole, which is the maximum sentence.
Greg still maintains his innocence. He and his attorney Rick Gallot, have tried to put blame on Denako Duheart, who is now deceased.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Obviously I don’t know the guy, but he seems like a monster. He most likely abused Chiquita, and then on this day in 2009, it escalated and ended her life.
Chiquita was a hardworking and powerful attorney, and now she can no longer do what she loves. Greg deserves a lot longer than 40 years, and hopefully he will never be paroled. I’m heartbroken for her family, and I hope they think justice was served.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/chiquita-tates-murder/
https://heavy.com/entertainment/2020/08/greg-harris-chiquita-tate-murder-marriage/
