A rising defense attorney in the Louisiana legal scene Chiquita Tate was found murdered in her Baton Rouge law office.
The 34-year-old was stabbed 43 times in a brutal attack and left splayed out on the floor with pieces of long dark hair clutched in her hand.
Despite the violent death, investigators found no blood in the elevator or in the lobby.
They also found that Tate was still wearing her expensive jewelry, seemingly ruling out a robbery gone wrong, and found no murder weapon at the scene.
Tate was married to contractor Greg Davis in small ceremony in 2008, after the couple had met while cruising around town
Davis told authorities he had seen his wife the night she was killed after she called him around 7 p.m. to ask whether he could bring her some food to the office.
Prosecutors believed, however, that Davis may have staged the attack himself. They further pointed to blood evidence found in the case that they believed suggested he was the killer.
He was sentenced to 40 years behind bars, the maximum allowed under state statutes.
