Bond modified for man charged with killing pregnant wife, unborn son

AUTAUGA COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - The District Court of Autauga County has modified the bond set for a Prattville man charged with killing his pregnant wife.

Hunter James Tatum, 25, will now need to put up $400,000 in cash if he wants to post bond. Tatum is facing two counts of murder for the deaths of his wife, Summer Knight Tatum, and her unborn son, since named Everett.

The shooting happened around midnight Monday while the couple was involved in a physical altercation, according to court filings. Those documents state that Summer Tatum, who was five months pregnant, was subsequently shot in the back of the head.

Police found Summer Tatum unresponsive, and she was taken to Baptist Medical Center South in life-threatening condition. Medical professionals performed an emergency delivery and placed the child in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, where he died a short time later.

Hunter Tatum had his first court appearance Thursday. During the hearing, prosecutors revealed the shooting happened after the couple got into an argument because Summer Tatum allegedly caught her husband having an affair through his computer with a woman overseas.

Prosecutors said Hunter Tatum shot his wife, who had cerebral palsy, twice in the head.

“I think anybody that could shoot a pregnant, disabled wife twice in the head is absolute evil. Now was that motive over an affair? We believe it was,” said Elmore County Chief Assistant District Attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit C.J. Robinson.

Defense lawyer Trey Norman suggested it was “self-defense” and that there was “no proof” connecting Hunter Tatum to the deaths.

The defendant’s preliminary hearing for Nov. 4.

Summer Tatum worked as a registered radiologic technologist. She was just 26. A GoFundMe account has been set up for her family. As of Friday, it had raised over $9,700 of a $40,000 goal.

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