Man Who Spent His Birthday Fatally Stabbing Girlfriend & Mother Could Get Death Penalty
The man who allegedly stabbed his girlfriend and her mother to death and wounded a male roommate in a shared Torrance condominium Sunday night is scheduled to be arraigned today.
Virgil Tyrone Tate, 31, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder in the slaying of his 32-year-old girlfriend, Tracie Ann Brooks, and her 58-year-old mother, Carol Susan Brooks. Tate was also charged with one count of attempted murder involving a male roommate, who suffered several stab wounds.
The murder charges include the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders, reports City News Service, which would allow prosecutors to decide later whether to seek the death penalty.
Tate, who is accused of committing the crimes on his 31st birthday, was arrested without incident after a two-hour standoff with police Sunday night. Police were called to the scene in the 21800 block of South Vermont Avenue near Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at 8:23pm and were greeted by the wounded man, who came running out and told deputies where the killer was hiding. Inside the condo, police discovered Tracie's body. Tate had barricaded himself inside a back bedroom. When SWAT entered, they found a naked suspect (Tate) and Carol's body. Both women were fatally stabbed multiple times.
Tate's bail was set a $1 million.
