Man with "Satan" tattoo sentenced to life in prison on murder conviction

LANCASTER COUNTY, SC (KTRK) -- Life in Prison. That was the sentence handed down to a South Carolina man with a forked tongue and the name "Satan" tattooed on his face, ABC affiliate WSOC-TV reports.

David Pate, 25, pleaded guilty yesterday to stabbing 33-year-old Ricky James nearly 40 times in October of 2013. Pate then tied up the body and left him under a pile of leaves. Children playing in the area discovered the body nearly a month later.

Police have not determined a motive for the murder, but Pate and James were drinking before the crime. Pate boasted about what he did in a taped interview.

"I didn't know, I thought I might cut his head off," Pate said.

Prosecutors played a chilling 15-minute tape in court where Pate talked about killing James with a big knife, indicating to deputies that it was like the character Michael Myers from the "Halloween" films. Pate also told deputies that it may not be the last time he kills, WSOC reports.

"I wanted to remember that spot where he was, because I may want to kill another person there some day," he said.

"This is an evil man standing before you. If anyone deserves life in prison, it's David Pate," solicitor Randy Newman said during the sentencing hearing.

James' family says they are satisfied with the sentence.