The Writing on the Wall | Full Episode | Forensic Files

May 5th is the day that's going to stick with the men and women of this Police Department their entire careers
a monster I mean Monster comes to mind somebody with no no soul this was a promising family a great
family I got the phone call from my neighbor Christopher Coleman probably around 10
to 7 in the morning told me that he was on his way home from the gym he was crossing the JB Bridge
he said I'm calling Sherry you know nobody's answered the phone she should be up tell them hey okay you know I'll
go over and check I'm gonna get somebody over there turn from the threats they've been
receiving that he reported to us my name is Justin Barlow I was a detective Sergeant for the Columbia
Illinois Police Department I also happened to be a neighbor I went to the front door just looking in
I couldn't see anything after that I went from the front of the house to the basement area
this is the basement of the home where we found an open window came in through through the hallway here
up the steps and this step's basically letting into the kitchen the first thing I remembered was smell
of spray paint we turn to the left here and saw the message that was left a lot of Helter Skelter type of message
Manson style spray paintings on the wall [Music] saying punished it started with email
threads move to written threats police were involved when I read the letter it was very specific about
killing the family I will kill your wife and children in their sleep then we started going to the up the
staircase to the bedroom the second floor of the house and then as you're walking up the steps this message here
you have paid this is leading to what you're going to find upstairs it wasn't going to have a good outcome
and at the top of the stairs we found the three bedrooms to the left of the staircase was the master bedroom we
found Sherry Coleman to the right was a bedroom of Garrett where he was found in his bed
and Gavin we found him in the uh the third bedroom all three deceased it was a homicide scene
we have an active death investigation who's responsible why it happened when it happened if you don't believe in evil
I hope you do now a mother and her two sons had been strangled in their sleep this touched an entire community
they took it very personal and that's something that you'll never forget as a reporter
we thought with the prior threats that was going to be a very good lead for us who had such hatred for for Chris
Goldman that's where our investigation was going to start this is Columbia innocent women and
children will get murdered in their bed at night I'm Maureen Maher tonight on 48 hours
the writing on the wall [Music] [Music] on the morning of May 5th 2009 Christopher Coleman returned home from
the gym [Music] to a scene of chaos and unimaginable horror told them hey they didn't
[Music] they walked him outside through the garage he sat down on the driveway and started
sobbing said he felt like he was going to throw up and then kind of curled up in the fetal position
[Music] did Justin Barlow of the Columbia Police Department had been the Coleman's
neighbor for five years was the first to respond when Chris could not reach his wife
[Music] this crime scene it wasn't bloody but that didn't mean it was less gruesome
were you at all prepared for what you were about to walk into I don't think anybody could be prepared for that
upstairs where they should have been safe in their beds were 31 year old Sherry and the couple's two young boys
eleven-year-old Garrett and nine-year-old Gavin what is the lasting image you have in
your mind from that day I would say the one that sticks out the most probably be
Garrett just because he's the one that that you know I discovered is that a haunting image for you even as
a police officer yeah a little bit Miller had not only taken Garrett's life but had desecrated the body by leaving
another disturbing message the spray paint in his room was actually on the sheet that was over his body it was and
there was some remnants of the spray paint on him as well we knew that that this case was going to
be probably the biggest one of our lives Columbia Illinois is a quiet suburb outside of saint
a wonderful place to live and raise a family and Chief Joe Edwards immediately recognized that his two
so we called in itial unit doing all we can to find out what happened in this house major Jeff Connor
and the major case Squad which brought in an army of 25 seasoned cops it's typically your smaller departments
that need the resource need the help swung into high gear SCI team started processing the house
warrants were secured to go through the Coleman's phones and computers while a very distraught Chris was taken to the
police station to give his statement let's do everything we can for this man told investigators that it had been a
normal morning what time did you leave your house to go to the gym this morning he got up and left for the gym around 5
40 a.m and called sharing numerous times to wake her up 6 52 a.m the bodies of cherry Coleman and her
sons as neighbors woke to the news of the murders and old were discovered shortly before seven Tuesday morning
they were both devastated and terrified so as I got down the street I had seen that it was at the Coleman house and I
text her right away and said is everything okay and I didn't get a response Vanessa rigorex who lived down the
street said the colemans appeared to have a perfect life raising their two beautiful sons
I always thought of them as the American family the perfect family everybody would want their children like
these two boys polite always helpful [Music] they had a heart of gold the couple had
been married for 12 years and met when they were both in the military training at the canine unit Sherry became a
stay-at-home mom 32-year-old Chris the Son of a Preacher used his marine and security experience
to land a job for a well-known televangelist Joyce Meyer and the devil fills our minds with junk Joyce Meyer is
now known throughout the country and known throughout the world is a leading voice into Evangelical movement Jesus
died to set us free and pretty successful organization financially she's extremely successful
financially I've seen figures from 50 to 100 million dollars a year reporter Nick pister followed the case
for two years and is the CBS News consultant don't ever let the devil steal from you Joyce Meyer travels all
throughout the world does conferences and countries that don't necessarily respond well to women who are preaching
a Christian message and so she wanted some deeper security I'm Joyce Meyer's head of security
apparently put a Target on Chris Coleman's back in November 2008 Chris had begun
receiving death threats to his work email whenever Chris Coleman reported the first death threat he came to us at
the police department tell Joyce to stop preaching the bull it read if I can't get to Joyce then I will get to someone
close to her we give the Coleman family extra Patrol which we just give it special attention to make sure nobody's
there it was in January 2009 that a hand-delivered threat showed up in the mailbox at the Coleman family home it
read deny your God publicly or else no more opportunities time is running out for you and your family did it concern
you as a neighbor living so closely when you heard that there were death threats
being made to the guy who lived across the street absolutely each note seemed to escalate the seriousness of the
situation and on April 27th less than a week before the murders a final Miss have arrived with an ultimatum stop
today or else I know your schedule you can't hide from me forever I'm always watching I know when you leave in the
morning and I know when you stay at home you decided to ramp things up yourself to be proactive and what did you do at
your house we got one camera mounted up in my five-year-old's bedroom and pointed it right at the mailbox
with the camera aimed directly at the Coleman's mailbox the Coleman residents lived about 214 feet approximately
they hope to get a clear shot of whoever was leaving the notes be prepared for something that was going to happen and
be as proactive about it as we could instead Days Later The Killers somehow snuck into the Coleman home
and strangled Sherry Garrett and Gavin but if the murders were linked to the threats and Joyce Meyer Ministries that
meant the cops might now be in a global search for suspects there was a lot of fear that there was somebody out there
killing families and who was going to be next [Music] my prayer over this town is that there'd
be healing that would come there be a heart for Mercy that would come towards whoever that poor soul is
that went to this extreme and that Colombia could begin to heal again [Music] this touched an entire community
[Music] the neighbors were shocked they saw the young boys playing touch football with their father on the front
lawn these were little boys that they knew you could just see the pain on everyone's face it devastated the
community the small town of Columbia Illinois was reeling with the sudden loss of Sherry
Garrett and Gavin Coleman close friends like Kathy Laplante were crushed Sherry was a loving mother loyal friend and
sister to me my life's not the same but pole in my heart if I would have known for one
millisecond she was in danger I would have been down there for Sherry's brother Mario and their mother Angela it
was impossible to accept the reality of the brutal crime she grew up to be a beautiful person on the outside as well
as an inside it were her world those boys they were her world you know Garrett was more quiet and more
of a thinker he's all you could tell by the white looking at his in his eyes he's only thinking
outgoing he was a very he's like a social butterfly this person I was just like his mom's just like his mother's
with Sherry Garrett and Gavin I mean I think that just that that's what the motivation was
for everybody into the investigation the major case Squad continued to pursue their best
lead finding whoever wrote those threats we Tracked Down uh people across the country who didn't like Joyce Meyers and
we interviewed them to find out where they were at on May the 4th and May the 5th and that morning they were hoping
might be able to point them in the right direction you suspect I mean out of all these
emails and things you've been talking about at work just got to be one person that stands out in your mind any clue of
which I knew if I just been there this morning but as police continue to talk to Coleman they were surprised by how he
was acting how do you think they died you guys haven't told me okay do you have any clues
did he ever ask how his wife and children died he never asked no what else sticks out in your mind from those
first few hours just the lack of reaction I mean just the lack of curiosity of what's going on so police
kept probing was there a problem in your relationship was there anything currently that wasn't going so well in
the relationship not really I mean it was the communication level had had you seen anyone else
Chris was adamant that he was not having a relationship outside of his marriage so it seemed odd when he offered a
stunning piece of information about another woman Tara from Florida and I've talked to her a ton lately but
and what's what's within him is this a friend something to talk to Tara is Tara Lynch a cocktail waitress and an old
high school friend of Sherry's okay you said you had a good close friendship but were you actually
um doing anything that that you felt wouldn't be approved by your wife um some of the conversations probably
Coleman insisted they were just friends that he met Tara through Sherry when their family went to Florida on vacation
no I didn't want to do that to my kids but during the interview the major K Squad contacted police in Tara's
hometown of Saint Petersburg Florida to check out Chris's story detective Shannon Halstead got the call
we went from the station to go make contact with her thinking it was going to be a quick 20-minute interview and it
ended up being very different that's because the information Holsted gained from Tara about the relationship was
very different than what Chris was telling police in Illinois she provided the Blackberry and the laptop computer
obviously had files of videos and emails relating to their relationship did you immediately step out and call St Louis I
did and what did you say to them I said I'm not positive but I think this is his
girlfriend armed with that information detective Barlow confronted Chris um the one thing that I did want to tell
you right now is uh the Saint Petersburg homicide Union is talking to tearing right now
to be showing us the pictures that you sent her with YouTube we know you guys could have an affair
so was that a pretty big break for you guys it was a important piece investigators learned the couple had
begun seeing each other in the fall of 2008. six months before the murders during the affair Chris would fly Tara
to meet him at locations where he was working for Joyce Meyer are you with me so far
I know you guys went to Hawaii together we pulled the Enterprise Leasing callers
we'll see where you guys went on different trips together right this is just something well and the other thing
too I think it was an affair it didn't you didn't think it's a fair because she Stars when you're like living with them
and you're gonna get married and everything she had on her calendar a scheduled wedding to Chris Coleman
scheduled vacations different accounts credit card accounts that they held together and I think she honest to God
believed that he was going to leave his wife and two children Chris's parents Pastor Ron Coleman and
his wife Connie were stunned to learn their son had had an affair but they insisted it had nothing to do with the
murders he's always been a real gentle person and kind of quiet is there any way that there's a part of Chris that
you don't know that could have been capable of this not in my view you couldn't put something around your kid's
throat unless you're a Monster yeah it's just not there while investigators believed Chris's affair with Tara Lance
was a strong motive for murder there still wasn't enough evidence to charge him so after six long hours Chris
Coleman walked out a free man it wasn't like we were wanting to believe hey Chris is the one who did this it's just
that the evidence kept pointing to him thank you [Music] the memorial in their subdivision is
awesome there's a bench and there's trees every day friends and neighbors are reminded of the beautiful lives that
were stolen from them the community got together and created that so they wanted to do something
positive Megan turnbow says it's a fitting tribute unlike the funeral service at Pastor Coleman's Church
no friends no family no coaches nobody spoke about these three awesome people that were dead
in the days that followed the service any sympathy for Chris Coleman was stripped away as news spread about his
affair with Sherry's high school friend Tara Lins [Music] well when the affair came out and I had
no idea and I heard about it from someone else I felt like every day I was just getting stabbed in the Heart
by these little pieces of information did you think he was going to be arrested yes and I couldn't wait I was
nervous to be honest with you the major K Squad felt that pressure obviously in any case you you want to
you want to get the person responsible for it but you want to get the right person
but right away there were red flags police were concerned when they found a basement window open and others unlocked
here's a guy whose family is being threatened they're going to destroy his family while he's gone
but yet that window is left unlocked and it was obvious it was left unlocked because there was no forced entry
remember that that Hamra did to Barlow installed in his house you saw no strangers walking up and down the
street you saw no strange vehicles and Chris had even installed his own surveillance cameras in his house what
about the surveillance equipment that was allegedly in the house the recorder was missing that's convenient yes
an autopsy on Sherry revealed that she fought violently with her with her two black eyes
Sherry was involved in an altercation before she was murdered those two boys weren't
which made scratches found on Chris Coleman's arms all the more suspicious when did you first notice the scratches
on his arms it was brought to my attention by people at the scene how you doing police say Coleman tried to hide them
during his interview you can see on the video where he's asking for a blanket because he says he's cold the only part
of his body he covers up are the you know suspected uh marks on his arm s I remember in the interview room it
being very warm in that did you think he was in shock no Chris later claimed he got those
scratches the day before when he was removing a satellite dish from his roof was there any DNA found at the scene
that would implicate him I'll just say there wasn't any DNA found that didn't belong there no Boogeyman no
unidentified DNA anything like that incriminate and on Chris's phone and computers
starting with X-Rated snapshots and videos that Tara and Chris had sent each other it was a serious Affair he had
written down every her measurements her favorite things everything about her he had stored so he could you know buy her
things or do whatever for her by November 5th of 2008 Chris had written on his computer that that was the day
Tara changed his life for police that date would set off alarm bells and how many days after that then
did the threats start to show up about nine days after that nine days the colemans insist it is all a
coincidence it's my understanding that he had written down November 5th the day Tara changed my life that they had
exchanged promise rings and that he had even written down the name of their first child were to be a little girl is
is that true honestly I cannot imagine him doing that with anybody he just didn't really operate in that in that
Arena of emotions he just didn't he was just very common logical sense Chris's parents believed their son is
innocent and that it was an intruder who killed his family and left hateful messages in fact Chris even voluntarily
provided samples of his own handwriting to police what was the most important piece of evidence at the crime scene at
the crime scene probably the handwriting on the walls but those samples would later come back
to haunt him the crime scene lag coming back and saying that the handwriting found on the wall
matches up to the handwriting Exemplar that Christopher Coleman gave at the Columbia Police Department
finally two weeks after the murders police felt they had enough to make their case
[Music] and Christopher Coleman was charged with the first degree murder of his wife and
two sons if it was another time they would have had pitchforks and lanterns in their
hand they were out for vengeance they wanted this case solved and they wanted it
solved immediately and they wanted him to be found guilty immediately were you there when he was arrested yes
it was at night the worst scenario we lost three we've lost Garrett and Gavin and Cherry and now Chris has gone
really taken on them and their children I've talked to some of the moms and the children in the community wonder if
their dad could do the same thing and investigators insist all this pain was caused by Chris Coleman's obsession
and all because of a woman I believe that had a major part of it this crime was about greed sex
selfishness and narcissism Chris Coleman decided he wanted a new life and his family was in the way
he was obviously a Monster who carried out a very sadistic plan by the time Chris Coleman went on trial in April
2011 prosecutor Ed Parkinson and his team had spent two years building their case this was a huge case this was like
a ten thousand piece puzzle the murders of Sherry Coleman and her two young boys
were a big case three counts of first-degree murder the local media as well the latest documents filed by
Prince all the pre-trial publicity prompted the judge to bus in a jury from a county an hour and a half away what
was the biggest challenge for you as a prosecutor in this case people who turn out to be jurors have to accept the fact
that parents kill their kids it's just hard to accept he just looked like a good guy how do you get that much hatred
for a child as Unthinkable as it was at every corner investigators had turned up more
evidence against Coleman some of it came from Sherry's own friends who were determined to have
their day in court what was it like waiting for the two years for the trial it was life-changing and not for the
better how did you feel about testifying I was scared to death I was like I'm gonna do this for Sherry Coleman
sporting a new hairdo and a bulletproof vest at his trial would hear those friends bolster the prosecution's claim
that he had lied about his marriage in his interrogation [Music] Coleman insisted that he and his wife Ed
merely hid a few bumps in the road and were helped by counseling Sherry told her friends a different
story and she was in my room and she was crying and Chris wanted to leave her and then he would start to say
hurtful things like I never loved you but Sherry wasn't willing to let him go and he would put on a face in front of
the marriage counselor and Sherry said when he got back home he'd yell at her and you know it would just be hell to
pay prosecutor Parkinson says there's a reason Coleman wanted Sherry to be the one to divorce him I believe he became
so enraptured by Tara Lynch but he couldn't get divorced in his own mind because then he'd lose his hundred
thousand dollar job a year with Joyce Meyer Ministries they frown on divorce if it's your fault
Parkinson believes Coleman was hoping to make a clean break before anyone caught
on about the affair in a videotape deposition Joyce Meyer confirmed her ministry's Zero Tolerance of adultery if
he would have been having an adulterous affair while he was still married then it could have definitely affected
his job but eventually Sherry did find out her husband was having an affair with her
best friend from high school Sherry opened up her computer one night with a friend and said do you want to see the
woman who's having an affair with my husband and showed images of Tara Lentz but Sherry still refused to get divorced
and something she said to her friend Kathy Laplante will haunt her forever when he came home demanding a divorce
she told me that if anything happened to her Chris did it several months later Sherry and the boys were dead
what do you think the trigger was that made it May 5th I think Tara was pressing him I think he just got pushed
into his own Corner they had wedding dates planned Carissa told Tara that he was serving Sherry with
divorce papers on May the 5th the day of the homicides and had he ever filed divorcement no did he ever speak to an
attorney no after hearing all about this other woman the jury would finally get to meet her
it was the most anticipated moment of the trial Lynn's making her entrance under police
escort she arrived at the courthouse almost like a Hollywood star arriving somewhere
it was a packed courtroom gallery Tara testified that she and Coleman talked or texted quote all the time
constantly and that they often professed their love for each other when asked whether she and Coleman had plans to
marry her short answer spoke volumes quote the divorce had to happen first do you think the Tara had anything to do
with the murders no I don't and you don't think she had any idea that something was about to happen nope not
from any of the evidence I don't believe that Coleman's luck drive his point home he showed the
court the sexually explicit videos and photos the two sent to each other we said Lord please help us we don't have
to look at this but please help us sit here for his sake that he doesn't feel that we're ashamed of him now instead of
embarking on an exciting New Life and keeping his six-figure income Chris Coleman was facing the death penalty did
you kill your wife and your children no absolutely not thank you Chris Coleman had a prominent local
defense team at his side when he went on trial for his life another double-edged
sword in trying to use the fingerprint but John o'gara and Bill morgulis had to admit they faced an uphill battle the
evidence was although all circumstantial it was very overwhelming and at trial one of the most critical
pieces of evidence would be time of death the prosecution maintains the three victims were killed hours before Coleman
left the house to go to the gym the bodies were stiff they had rigor mortis that everything pointed that they were
dead by at least three o'clock in the morning it could have been the whole case quite frankly
the defense insists that Sherry Garrett and Gavin could have been killed that morning during the hour in 10 minutes
that Coleman was gone you know you can use various formulas you know the time of death is not an exact science
as investigators kept building their case something was troubling them about that trail of threatening letters and
emails it read if I can't get to Joyce then I will get to someone close to her we didn't find anybody else who had
received messages that were threatening to their family the prosecution's computer
experts discovered there was a good reason for that those threats were typed on his laptop the email threats that
came to him originated from his own laptop those threats were sent from an account called destroy Chris gmail.com
defense attorney Bill margulis insists someone else could have sent them anybody that had access to his computer
whether it was a co-worker or anybody else could have created that account the investigators still had no so-called
Smoking Gun no DNA no murder weapon and no eyewitness but after analyzing the blood red paint
in those frightening messages on the walls they believe they just might have something close to it one can of that
exact spray paint was purchased at a at a local hardware store and the computerized signature said Christopher
Coleman you cannot paint that much without paint being somewhere on you they literally
cut him to the quick he pulled his own hair out for them there was not a trace of paint
but if Coleman was the killer he'd made this scene on the surveillance video recorded the afternoon before the bodies
were discovered all the more chilling it's a perfect Suburban scene he played catch with his son at the house
and then the next morning they're dead it's unexplainable course Coleman did not take the stand
[Music] I didn't want to believe that he could do that I cried myself to sleep in a case that was gut wrenching for
everyone involved it turns out the jury was no exception absolutely unimaginable
I mean there's just so much hate it's just hatred spread everywhere anything the first boat inside that jury room was
seven to five not guilty but not because they believed Coleman was innocent we all thought he did it who else would
have done it but many of the jurors were troubled by the circumstantial nature of
the case you wanted factual tangible evidence that said he did it make him prove it
as the deliberations entered a second day crowds began to began to gather outside the courthouse
the tension mounting but Sherry's mother remained optimistic we will get Justice for my daughter and
for my grandsons I have what they call the mother instinct I'm very confident incredibly it was the jurors own
detective work that they say pushed them over the top when they looked at the back of this
picture of Chris Coleman and Tara Lynn's kissing they noticed it was taken on October 21st 2008.
I think actually what I said was oh my God and I said what was the day that he said the affair started yeah the
dates did it wasn't until November November November and the picture was created until October
way before they said they have been seeing each other and what did that say to you that was something black and
white in front of my face that said if he could lie about this he's lying about everything
after 15 hours of deliberations there is a verdict in the Chris Coleman triple murder trial the verdict
was guilty Chris Coleman in this case guilty on all three of these counts and the crowd
outside the courthouse erupted in Applause and cheers [Applause] I had never seen anything like what
happened on the lawn of the courthouse that night the verdict was handed down on May 5th
2011. two years to the day that Sherry Garrett and Gavin were found murdered I walked out of the courtroom and first
words out of my yes we did it we got Justice the judge sentenced Coleman to life in
prison in part because the state of Illinois's repeal of the death penalty was just months away from taking effect
did you kill your wife and your children Chris Coleman by phone because our cameras were not allowed inside the
prison absolutely wife and my kids and this you know it's not it's not me how do you love your wife and be having an
affair with one of her best friends might should be getting it home as far as with my wife you know from the uh
physical side of things but I still absolutely loved her Coleman denies he was planning to divorce Sherry to marry
his mistress Tara so why does Tara say that she also says that you had told her that
you were serving divorce papers to Sherry and I would apologize to her about that
that was a lie I'd like to Tara about that so if he didn't murder his family who
did I have absolutely absolutely rained for for two and a half years trying to figure that part out I just had to stop
and give it to God just release that and do my best to forgive that forgive that
person and move on forgiving and moving on has been difficult for Sherry's friends
[Music] struggling to understand this incomprehensible crime as a Christian I feel like it's imperative that I forgive
because Jesus forgave me and I went to forgive with my whole heart what makes it so hard to do that
they were so innocent [Music] friends and family want to ensure that she Garrett and Gavin are never
forgotten so they've been raising money to help victims of domestic violence and they hope to build a new Little
League field and name it after those two young boys who love to play ball the boys had their whole life ahead of them
they didn't deserve it this should have never happened should have never happened
[Music] foreign [Music]

The head of security for a televangelist is threatened, his wife and sons murdered. Who wanted this family dead? "48 Hours" correspondent Maureen Maher reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Christopher Coleman was convicted of murdering his wife and two sons in a case involving death threats and an affair.

Key points

The Coleman Family Tragedy. On May 5, 2009, the Coleman family was found murdered in their home, shocking the community.
Death Threats Escalate. Leading up to the murders, Christopher Coleman received increasingly serious death threats.
Community Grieves. The small town of Columbia, Illinois, mourns the loss of the Coleman family, struggling to comprehend the tragedy.
The Affair Uncovered. Chris Coleman’s affair with Tara Lins came to light, raising suspicions about his involvement in the murders.
Suspicion on Chris Coleman. Despite his claims of innocence, evidence began to point towards Chris Coleman as a suspect.
Chris Coleman Charged. Christopher Coleman was charged with the first-degree murder of his wife and two sons.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I hope you do now.

Reflecting on the evil of the crime.

2:54WatchMar 14, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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