Tragedy at CNN As Legal Commentator, Noted Defense Attorney Drowns While Swimming With Son

CNN announced the tragic loss of a noted legal commentator and defense attorney who contributed to their platform.

Page Pate, 55, was reportedly swept out to sea while swimming off the coast of St. Simons Island, a small island off Georgia’s coastline.

Pate was swimming with his son at the time.

According to the Brunswick News, the current pulled Pate out to sea, and he could not make it back to shore.

The Daily Wire notes that Pate was an Atlanta-based trial attorney and owned a home on the island.

Pate’s law firm, Pate, Johnson & Church, released a statement:

“Once the shock wears off, it’s just hurt. And there’s no easy way about getting rid of that, except for time and grieving. Though he was a formidable, sometimes intimidating, attorney in the courtroom, Page had an easy smile, an earnest laugh, and a great sense of humor.”

Glynn County Fire-Rescue acting Chief Vinnie DiCristofalo reported that rescue personnel responded to a report of two swimmers in distress at about 2 p.m. DiCristofalo noted that Pate’s son was also pulled out to sea by the current but managed to return to shore safely.

Rescue personnel in a boat found Pate and pulled him from the water. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Daily Wire notes, “Pate graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law with honors, worked at law firms in Atlanta before launching his own practice.”

Pate is survived by sons, Chatham and Asher, and his wife, Elizabeth.

Pate was a “fixture on CNN” and was often tapped by media outlets for his insight and analysis.

Poppy Harlow, CNN Newsroom host tweeted: “In memory of our friend and CNN contributor Page Pate. May his memory be a blessing. Thinking of his wife Elizabeth, his sons Chatham and Asher, his parents Robert and Mary Elizabeth, and his brother Lane.”

Pate was also the co-founder of the Georgia Innocence Project and was known as a “fierce advocate for the criminally accused and unjustly convicted.” 

Clare Gilbert, Executive Director of the Georgia Innocence Project, shared that the organization was “heartbroken” by the loss.

“Above all else, we will remember Page’s kindness and generosity, always willing to give anything he could to help, whether it be a personal matter or professional, and never asking anything in return,” Gilbert said.