A woman who hit her husband in the head with a baseball bat twice during a drunken
fight has been charged with his murder.
Alice Tatum-Price, 51, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of
her husband, James Tatum, who died June 22, more than a month after the May 12
fight in the couple’s Austin neighborhood home. Tatum-Price was ordered held in
lieu of $1 million bail in a hearing today before Cook County Criminal Court
Judge Donald Panarese.
Tatum, 51, of the 5400 block of West Cortez Street, was declared dead just
before 1 a.m. on June 22.
Tatum was drinking with his wife on May 12 when the two started arguing. Tatum-Price, who was staying in Milwaukee, had a restraining order
against Tatum and told police she shouldn’t have come to Chicago.
The two started arguing after having a couple of drinks. At
10:41 p.m. on May 11, Tatum-Price called police because the couple were arguing
and she “wanted to get away from her husband,” according to a court document.
Tatum-Price called 911 again and tried to cancel the call, even though Tatum was
angry with her and chasing her around the house.
When Tatum sat down on a couch, Tatum-Price grabbed a wooden baseball bat
from a corner of the rooom and said “come here you motherfucker,”. She hit him in the head twice.
After hitting him, she put a pillow under his head and called 911. An
ambulance took Tatum to Mount Sinai Hospital before police arrived and
Tatum-Price told police what happened.
Tatum had bruises on his forearm from trying to defend himself from the bat,
and Tatum-Price had no visible injuries except for a sprained finger.
Investigators weren’t able to interview Tatum, but Tatum-Price was charged
with attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery with a
deadly weapon the day after the fight. She was ordered held in lieu of $200,000
bail at that time.
The medical examiner’s office determined Tatum died from cerebral injuries
from blunt head trauma in a homicide, consistent with being hit in the head with
a baseball bat.
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