FAIRFIELD – The man serving time for the 2021 murder of Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Riley has advised the court he wishes to represent himself in an attempt to withdraw his guilty plea.

Against the court’s advice, Ray E. Tate fired his public defender earlier this month, telling Judge Mike Molt he plans to represent himself in future court hearings.

Tate alleges he was coerced into pleading guilty to Deputy Riley’s murder due to threats from Jefferson County jail corrections officers, and that jailers opened his cell door and allowed another inmate to enter and beat him up.  

Tate is also claiming he was told to plead guilty to Riley’s shooting death or he would wind up in federal court and face the death penalty.

Now representing himself, Tate is next scheduled to appear in Wayne County Court Aug. 24 to file any amended or supplemental motions regarding his efforts to withdraw his guilty plea.  

He’s also scheduled for a pretrial hearing Aug. 16 in Clinton County, where he’s charged with 30 felony offenses including kidnapping and weapons charges stemming from a string of events that began the same day of Riley’s murder.