^COLEMAN FAMILY - Mom and 2 boys - Columbia IL

Police said they have narrowed down
their investigation in the strangulations of a Columbia woman and her
two sons to one suspect and presented their case Wednesday to the
Monroe County prosecutor, but no warrant was issued, pending lab tests
that could take up to eight weeks."You need to make sure before
you make charges on something like this," said Maj. Jeff Connor, deputy
commander of the Major Case Squad of the Greater St. Louis Area.In
the early morning hours of May 5, police found Sheri Coleman, 31, and
sons, Garett, 11, and and Gavin, 9, dead in their Columbia home after
Sheri's husband and the boys' father, Christopher Coleman, called
police from a South St. Louis gym and asked police to check on them.

Investigators turned over evidence to Monroe County State's Attorney Kris Reitz after an
investigation that has taken the 20 members of the squad to Missouri,
Florida, Springfield and Chicago, Connor said. They will decide by the
end of today whether to extend the Major Case Squad's involvement or
disband."After
nine days of investigation on hours that went from anywhere from 14 to
24 hours a day, we've developed information that we believe one person
is actually involved in this homicide," Connor said. "We believe that
this was not a random act, that it was actually intended to kill the
three members of this family."Connor declined to identify the suspect."We
had anticipated the possibility that maybe there would be charges
today, so we presented our case with the information that we had at
this time, and it was decided to defer a little longer," Connor said.
"The evidence that we submitted to (the State's Attorney) he would like
for that to be analyzed before a decision is made."Connor said
he anticipates the suspect will be charged. "I've said all along I feel
confident this case will be solved, and I hold to that," he said.Connor
said evidence was discarded on Interstate 255, and investigators are
asking for anyone who saw something unusual before 6:50 a.m. May 5 to
call police.Columbia Police Chief Joe Edwards is asking anyone
who knew the Coleman family to call police if officers have not yet
interviewed them.Meanwhile, Chris Coleman held a private burial
service Wednesday morning for his wife and sons, attended by only
himself and his parents.Police spent much of Wednesday following
Coleman's movements. Early Wednesday morning three unmarked police cars
and a sport utility vehicle full of detectives were staked out around
his parents' home at 304 Dixie Drive in Chester, where he has been
staying. They left about 3:30 p.m., saying they were told to return to
Columbia. "At this point, we don't have any surveillance on Mr.
Coleman," Connor said shortly after 4 p.m.Shortly after 8 a.m.,
Coleman and his parents left the house and went to Grace Church
Ministries in Chester, where Coleman's father, the Rev. Ronald Coleman,
serves as pastor. Most of the police who were parked near the house
then followed them to the church.About 9:30 a.m., the bodies of
Sheri, Garett and Gavin Coleman arrived at Evergreen Cemetery in
Chester. Chris Coleman arrived with his parents before the burial. He
gazed at the caskets, then the Colemans hugged. Ronald Coleman touched
one of the caskets before the family departed.About 2 p.m.,
Chris Coleman was visited for more than 30 minutes at his parents' home
by Roby Walker, spokesman for Joyce Meyer Ministries. Coleman is
security chief for Meyer, who is an evangelist. Walker was not
immediately available for comment.The private funeral for the
mother and sons was held Saturday morning at Grace Church in Chester.
Burial was delayed by a legal tussle between Chris Coleman and his
wife's family, who wanted to hold a memorial service in Chicago.Sheri
Coleman's family won an order temporarily stopping burial. They had the
bodies transported to the Chicago area, where they held a burial
Monday. Their bodies were to be returned Tuesday and arrived at the
cemetery for burial Wednesday morning.Coleman, 32, gave police his fingerprints Monday.

COLUMBIA, Ill. — A glove found along Interstate 255 may be a key
clue to who killed Sheri Coleman and her two sons in their home here,
law enforcement sources said Monday.

They said the glove appeared to have stains from red spray paint. A
similar color paint was used by the killer to scrawl a message on a
wall in the Coleman home.

Investigators are testing the glove for fingerprints and DNA, the
sources said, and otherwise checking whether it can be linked to the
crime scene.

Coleman, 31, and sons Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9, were found dead in
their bedrooms May 5. Neighbors told reporters that police said the
victims were strangled, although no official cause of death has been
reported.

Christopher Coleman, the surviving husband and father, told
detectives he left home around 5:45 a.m. that day to go to a gym in
south St. Louis County. He called police shortly before 7 a.m., worried
that he could not reach his family by phone and asking that officers
check their well-being. Police found the bodies.

Within several days, investigators walked stretches of Interstate 255 near the Jefferson Barracks Bridge, checking the roadsides for something. They wouldn't disclose what.

Last week, police announced they had identified a lone killer who
targeted the family, and turned evidence over to Monroe County State's
Attorney Kris Reitz. He has deferred a decision on charges, pending
unspecified forensic tests.

William Margulis, the attorney representing Christopher Coleman, declined to comment Monday about the glove.

It was found along what would have been Coleman's route to the gym.
Police have not named him as a suspect. His fingerprints were taken by
court order last week, and he was under obvious police surveillance for
a while.

Asked for comment about the glove, Major Case Squad commander Jeff
Connor responded that it "is not a confirmed piece of evidence."

Police sources have said that someone painted words on the wall to the effect of, "I told you this would happen."

Christopher Coleman told police he had received some kind of threats in
his role as a security manager for Joyce Meyer, an internationally
known televangelist based in Jefferson County. He resigned from the job
last week; a Joyce Meyer Ministries spokesman on Monday cited "a
violation of moral conduct" but declined to give specifics about
Coleman's resignation.

Police sources have said that investigators interviewed a woman in
Florida who had been a friend of Sheri Coleman's in high school and who
was involved in a recent romance with Christopher Coleman, meeting him
sometimes when he traveled on business. His lawyers have declined to
comment on that.

A glove found along Interstate 255 may be a key clue to who killed
Sheri Coleman and her two sons in their home in Columbia, Ill., law
enforcement sources said Monday.
They said the glove appeared to
have stains from red spay paint. A similar color paint was used by the
killer to scrawl a message on a wall inside the Coleman home, according
to a police source.

Investigators are testing the glove for
fingerprints and DNA, the sources said, and otherwise checking whether
it can be linked to the crime scene.

Coleman, 31, and sons
Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9, were found dead in their bedrooms May 5.
Neighbors told reporters that police said the victims had been
strangled, although no official cause of death has been reported.

Christopher
Coleman, the surviving husband and father, told detectives he left home
around 5:45 a.m. that day to go to a gym in south St. Louis County. He
called police shortly before 7 a.m., worried that he could not reach
his family by phone and asking that officers check their well-being.
Police found the bodies.

Within several
days, investigators walked stretches of Interstate 255 near the
Jefferson Barracks Bridge checking the roadsides for something. They
wouldn’t disclose what.

Last week, police announced they had
identified a lone killer who targeted the family, and turned evidence
over to Monroe County State's Attorney Kris Reitz. He has deferred a
decision on charges, pending unspecified forensic tests.

William Margulis, the attorney representing Christopher Coleman, declined to comment Monday regarding discovery of the glove.

It
was found along what would have been Coleman's route to the gym. Police
have not named him as a suspect, although his fingerprints were taken
by court order last week and he was under obvious police surveillance
for a while.

Asked for comment about the glove, Major Case Squad
commander Jeff Connor responded that it "is not a confirmed piece of
evidence."

Police sources have said that someone painted words on the wall to the effect of "I told you this would happen."
(The police keep doing things that point to him as a suspect and then
they claim that he is not a suspect. If he isn't a suspect they are
doing him a disservice. But he is acting like a guilty man by not
turning over the needed samples willingly. I can understand the lawyer,
being in the murder investigation can't be easy. But what harm can DNA
and fingerprints do? Wouldn't providing the samples be the quickest way
of ending suspicion.)

Coleman had told police he had
received some kind of threats in his role as a security manager for
Joyce Meyer, an internationally known televangelist based in Jefferson
County. He resigned from the job last week; the Joyce Meyer Ministries
citing a violation of an unspecified employment policy.

Police
sources have said that investigators interviewed a woman in Florida who
had been a friend of Sheri Coleman's in high school and who had been
involved in a recent romance with Christopher Coleman, meeting him
sometimes when he traveled on business. His lawyers also have declined
comment on that.

BREAKING NEWS

Columbia, Ill– Police Sources inside the Investigation
of the murders of Sheri Coleman and her two sons, Garrett and Gavin
Coleman, have confirmed to blinkoncrime.com that the arrest of the
husband and father of the deceased, Christopher Coleman, is imminent.
Following the earlier disbanding of the Major Crimes
Division while the Columbia police awaited forensics based on the
advice of the District Attorney, Major Connor is back at the Columbia
Police Headquarters this afternoon rumored to be preparting for an
impromptu press conference, announcing Coleman’s arrest. There are
already news trucks parked outside the Columbia PD although no
announcement has been made.

Check back to blinkoncrime.com for updates to this developing story.

COLUMBIA, Ill. — A southwestern Illinois man was charged Tuesday with strangling his wife and two young children.
Chris Coleman, 32, was arrested at his parents' home in Chester, about 40
miles from Columbia, and charged with three counts of first degree
murder, said Jeff Connor of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis."We've done all we could to solve this as
quickly as we could but as efficiently as we could," said Connor, who
declined to discuss motive. "We feel very comfortable in these charges."
Coleman did not resist arrest, Connor said. Coleman, wearing an orange jail
jumpsuit and with his arms shackled to his waist, refused to answer
reporters' questions as police escorted him to a waiting vehicle.
Defense attorney William Margulis told The Associated Press his client planned
to plead not guilty at a court appearance scheduled for Wednesday.
Police had said they believed one person was responsible in the killings of
Sheri Coleman, 31, and her two sons, Garett, 11, and 9-year-old Gavin,
who were found in their Columbia home on May 5.
Connor confirmed on Tuesday that all the victims were strangled with a
ligature but he declined to discuss the type of cord used.
The Major Case Squad presented evidence in the case to Monroe County
State's Attorney Kris Reitz last week, but Reitz did not file charges
pending the results of forensic tests. At the time authorities declined
to name the suspect.
"For several days now we have been close," Connor said. "Tonight there was just some more
evidence that came forward and we were able to solidify a more solid
case."
The case remained open, although authorities were not looking for any other suspects, said Columbia Police Chief Joe Edwards.
Edwards said he was relieved Coleman had been arrested.
"We knew there was a road we needed to go down, a goal we needed to reach," he said.The day the bodies were found Chris Coleman
called police from a gym and asked a Columbia police officer who had
investigated prior threats related to the family for a well-being check
around 7 a.m., investigators have said.
Chris Coleman told officials that he called the house and no one answered, authorities said.
Officials have declined to discuss details about the alleged threats. Some
neighbors in the well-kept subdivision have also said the Colemans
received threatening letters and that their mailbox was tampered with.
Police got to the suburban home that morning before Chris Coleman arrived and
discovered the bodies. Shortly after, officers had to restrain the
visibly upset man in his yard.
Chris Coleman worked security for Joyce Meyer Ministries, a Fenton, Mo.-based
evangelical Christian group. Joyce Meyer spokesman Roby Walker said
last week that Coleman resigned after an internal inquiry found he
failed to follow a ministry policy.
Walker would not say what policy Coleman allegedly violated.

COLUMBIA, Ill. — A southwestern
Illinois man charged with strangling his wife and two young children
plans to plead not guilty at his court appearance on Wednesday, his
attorney said.
Chris Coleman, 32, was arrested Tuesday at his parents' home in Chester,
about 40 miles from Columbia, and charged with three counts of first
degree murder, said Jeff Connor of the Major Case Squad of Greater St.
Louis.

COLUMBIA, Ill. — A southwestern
Illinois man charged with strangling his wife and two young sons
pleaded not guilty to the killings on Wednesday.
Chris Coleman, 32, entered not guilty pleas to three counts of first-degree murder in the two-minute arraignment hearing.
He faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

The Major Case Squad reveals new details about the arrest of
Christopher Coleman, and the scene of the triple murder he is accused
of commiting.

When police announced the arrest in a late night news conference
Tuesday, they would only say new evidence gathered that day convinced
prosecutors to file first degree murder charges against Coleman, in the
deaths of his wife Sheri and their sons Gavin and Garett. Just six days
before, police warned it could be weeks before an arrest would come.
They said they had a suspect, but did not have enough evidence to press
charges.

Wednesday night, Major Case Squad Deputy Commander Major Jeff Connor
said it was not one key piece of evidence, but several layers that
pushed the case over the edge Tuesday.

"I can tell you this investigation took us all over the place, several
states, businesses, worship centers, residential areas, all over, so I
don't want to key in on any one piece of evidence," Connor says.

Connor also revealed the bodies of Sheri, Gavin, and Garett were
discovered, strangled, in separate bedrooms upstairs in the Coleman
home on the morning of May 5. A basement window in the back of the home
was open. The chilling words "I told you so" were spray painted in red
on a wall near the stairs.

Detectives have visited stores near the Coleman home that would sell
spray paint, asking for paint samples and looking at surveillance
pictures. They fingerprinted Christopher Coleman last week, after
recovering a rubber glove on the side of Interstate 255 in Illinois.

There is so much anger over this case in Monroe County that people
lined the street near the courthouse, to heckle Coleman as he arrived
for his initial court appearance Wednesday morning.

"Murderer!" they yelled. "Baby killer!" yelled another. They never saw
Coleman, but they screamed at the car in which he was riding.

'It's what he deserves," said one man.

Coleman pled not guilty.

"My client, Mr. Coleman, maintains his innocence and we're going to
play this out in the judicial process," said Coleman's attorney Bill
Margulis.

In the Columbia Lakes neighborhood where the Coleman family lived,
and where three of them died, there is a new sense of calm.

"We're relieved that they finally got him and we know who it is," said
neighbor Jennifer Grimm. "We all feel safer. We were hoping that this
would not have been him, but you just never know who your neighbor is
going to be and what kind of person they're going to be."

"I think one day I'll find peace but right now it's kind of hard," Grimm said.

Connor said it was a relief to make an arrest in this case. He called
it a great night for law enforcement, the city of Columbia, and in
particular, the Major Case Squad.

"It's a very complicated case," said Connor. "The children make it more
complicated, it's more emotional."

"There's some closure now that the person I feel, the judge feels, and the
prosecutor feels is the right person is behind bars."

Meanwhile, a former co-worker finds the allegations against Chris Coleman
almost unbelievable.

There was new insight into the Columbia, Illinois, triple murder case,
Wednesday, from someone who used to work with accused killer, Chris
Coleman, 32; someone who is now covering the story as a photo
journalist.

When police led Coleman from the Columbia police department and into a
waiting squad car to take him to jail, there were reporters and
photographers everywhere. One of them was looking through a camera at
someone he considered a friend.
"Seeing someone I worked with come through the door in the jump suit,
with the handcuffs on, it hurts. It really does," said freelance
photojournalist, George Wise, who's been covering the case for the
Associated Press and others. "I was just shocked. I was just like,
'this cannot be Chris Coleman. There's no way. This is not the Chris
Coleman I know'."

Wise has been covering St. Louis for close to 20 years. For close to 3,
he worked as a TV-video specialist for the Joyce Meyer Ministries
alongside Chris Coleman and Coleman's wife Sheri, 31.

Coleman's jailed with no bond on three counts of first degree murder
for the strangulation deaths of his wife and two sons, Garett, 11, and
Gavin, 9.

"I wanted to reach out and say something to him. I think he knew I was
there," Wise said of the scene at the police station.

He remembered Chris Coleman as a serious minded, dedicated security
officer for Joyce Meyer and a dedicated family man; much the same as
Sheri Coleman's family did.

"She had never complained about any infidelity," said Enrico Mirabelli,
a spokesman for Sheri Coleman's family. "She had not complained about
any verbal or physical abuse to any of the family members."

Neighbors said Chris Coleman played with his sons outside daily; taking
them to a Cardinals game a day or two before the murders.

"To see him in this position is just horrifying to me, because of the
Chris Coleman I knew and the Chris Coleman I worked with. I've got to
go into rewind here because it just doesn't make any sense," Wise said.

It's been hard for all of them to think of him as a killer; it's hard for wise
to cover the home-turned-crime scene.

"It's just devastating to stand here and look at his house and just
know that his life there is over. It's just absolutely over," Wise said
standing outside the Coleman home. "I'm really sad. I think when you
look at the pictures of the children you look at Sheri, you look at
him, they looked very happy...I have made it a point to stay on this
story as a journalist," he added, wiping a tear. "Because I want the
truth. I want the truth for me and the community because I care about
Sheri and who she is. I do care about Chris even though he's in this
horrible situation, whether he did it or not, the truth has got to come
out."

Coleman pleaded not guilty in Monroe County court Wednesday.

"My client, Mr. Coleman, maintains his innocence," his attorney, Bill Margulis, said.

You can understand why a part of Wise, was hoping what Margulis said is
true. Wise flashed back to what he considered a defining moment in the
story as viewed through his camera so far, when Coleman was put into
the squad car. A reporter asked if Coleman had any thoughts to share
about his children.

"You did see him drop his head ... you just knew it'd just sunk in to
him. He was having the full realization of the impact of what he's
going to go through."

Coleman bowed his head, pursed his lips and seemed to fight back tears,
as police led him off to jail.

Famed forensic pathologist Dr. Michael
Baden reviewed material related to the triple strangulation slayings of
Columbia mother Sheri Coleman and her two sons, Garett and Gavin.Baden was contacted by police to review the case late last week. He declined to comment on his findings."I did look at some things in the case at the request of police," Baden said Thursday.
Baden, 74, is the former chief medical examiner for New York City
and is the chief forensic pathologist for the New York State Police. He
has performed more than 20,000 autopsies in his 40-year career.Granite
City Police Maj. Jeff Connor declined to comment regarding Baden."I am
not going to discuss any evidence, including people we talked to,
concerning this case," he said.Baden stars in the Home Box
Office program "Autopsy: Postmortem with Dr. Baden." He authored more
than 80 professional articles and two nonfiction books, including "Dead
Reckoning, the New Science of Catching Killers" with Marion Roach.Baden
investigated the deaths of President John F. Kennedy, civil rights
leader Martin Luther King and comedian John Belushi. He testified in
O.J. Simpson's murder case after the football hero was charged with
killing his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman.Police
found the bodies of Sheri Coleman, 31, Garett Coleman, 11, and Gavin
Coleman, 9, about 7 a.m. May 5 after Christopher Coleman called police
from a Gold's Gym in south St. Louis and asked police to check on them.Connor presented the case to Monroe County State's Attorney Kris Reitz on Friday, but the case was taken under advisement.On
Tuesday, Reitz charged Christopher Coleman, a former security guard for
televangelist Joyce Meyer, on Tuesday night with three counts of
first-degree murder. He is being held at Monroe County jail on no bond.Meanwhile,
Enrico Mirabelli, spokesman for Sheri Coleman's family, said the family
will file a wrongful death suit in Monroe County on Tuesday.Belleville
attorney Jack Carey will file the suit on Tuesday on behalf of Sheri
Coleman's mother, Angela DeCicco, and her brother, Mario Weiss. The
suit will seek more than $50,000 in damages and an accounting of the
possessions taken from the home."We want to make sure that Chris Coleman in no way financially benefits from the deaths of Sheri, Garett or Gavin," Carey said.Chris Coleman, 32, resigned from Joyce Meyer Ministries on Monday after a "violation of moral conduct."Ron
Coleman, Chris Coleman's father and minister at Grace Church Ministries
in Chester, helped him get the job with Festus, Mo.-based Meyer,
Mirabelli said.One of the people interviewed by police was a
Clearwater, Fla., woman, whom Mirabelli said was a "friend of the
family" who began a romantic relationship with Chris Coleman.The
woman, who once waitressed at a St. Petersburg, Fla., dog track,
attended Largo High School with Sheri Coleman, graduating a year after
Sheri Coleman. They both belonged to the drama club.Connor confirmed he interviewed several people in the Tampa area.Joyce Meyer offered a conference in November in Tampa, but it wasn't clear whether Coleman traveled with her to the conference.Christopher Coleman's preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 10.

Attorney describes messages spray-painted on walls inside Columbia home where slayings occurred
BY BETH HUNDSDORFER - News-Democrat

A lawyer for the family of murder
victim Sheri Coleman described today messages spray-painted on the
walls of the home where she and her two young sons were found strangled.Attorney
Jack Carey filed a wrongful death lawsuit today seeking documents
concerning life insurance obtained by Sheri Coleman's husband, Chris
Coleman, who is accused of the murders. Her family also won a temporary
order allowing them access to the house at 2854 Robert Drive in
Columbia.Carey, Sheri Coleman's brother Mario Weiss and family
spokesman Enrico Mirabelli entered the home with the help of a
locksmith at 12:55 p.m. Carey walked out of the house a short time
later, overcome with emotion.
He described messages he'd seen
spray-painted in red on walls. Laced with obscenities, they appear to
have been directed at Sheri Coleman and include "punished" in the
downstairs dining room, "whore paid" or "u have paid" in an upstairs
room and "I saw you leave, (expletive) you, I am always watching" in
the kitchen.Carey said he told Weiss and Mirabelli, "I've had enough; I need to leave."The
lawsuit filed by Carey in Monroe County Circuit Court seeks information
on trips taken by Chris Coleman and others for Joyce Meyer Ministries.
It seeks airline schedules on commercial flights and private airplane
manifests for travel in connection to Chris Coleman's former job as a
security guard for Meyer's evangelical group.Carey will seek a
permanent order June 5 that halts Chris Coleman or his family from
dissolving the marital assets. The lawsuit, which seeks damages in
excess of $50,000, also seeks any "memorandums or notes" and a complete
work schedule connected to Coleman's job with the Joyce Meyer
Ministries.The two-count lawsuit alleges "intentional acts," a
reference to the May 5 strangulation deaths of Sheri Coleman, and their
two sons, Garret, 11, and Gavin, 9.A second count accuses Coleman of "negligence" in connection to the murders.It was filed on behalf of Angela DeCicco, Sheri Coleman's mother and her brother.The
lawsuit also seeks documents from Coleman's father, the Rev. Ron
Coleman of Chester, who heads Grace Church Ministries in Chester,
including Rev. Coleman's pay records and life insurance records.Neither Ron Coleman nor Joyce Meyer Ministries are named as defendants. The are referred to as, "respondents in discovery."Christopher
Coleman resigned from his security job at the ministries after being
questioned by a Joyce Meyer official about an alleged violation of the
organizations moral conduct policy.Coleman is being held without bail. A preliminary hearing in his case is set for June 10.

Family: Threats found in Illinois home of 3 killed


By JIM SUHR – 1 hour ago
WATERLOO, Ill. (AP) — The walls inside a home where a woman and her
two sons were found strangled to death had been scrawled with
expletives and warned of a presence "always watching," the family of
the murdered woman said Tuesday.A judge on Tuesday granted Sheri
Coleman's mother and her brother access to the two-story home in
Columbia where Coleman, 11-year-old Garett and 9-year-old Gavin were
found dead May 5.Coleman's husband Chris, 32, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and remains held without bond.Sheri
Coleman's name was taken off the home's deed last year and her family
questioned whether she knew or was coerced into allowing it, the
family's attorney Enrico Mirabelli said.The woman's mother and
brother, Angela DeCicco and Mario Weiss, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit
in Monroe County, which Mirabelli said prevented Chris Coleman from
immediately selling the home or its contents.Many possessions in
the home had been boxed up, with some marked "toys," according to Jack
Carey, an attorney for the family in the civil lawsuit. No pictures
were on the walls, he said.Carey did not know whether the
packing took place before the killings or within days of them, when
Coleman's family removed some items in a trailer.He said there
were no signs of violence or struggle, but that someone had written
expletives and other messages on the walls in red spray paint.He said a writing near the kitchen read: "I saw you leave. (Expletive) you. I am always watching."Mirabelli called the writings "vicious."Police have not yet announced a motive in the killings.Mirabelli
said the family's legal action Tuesday was the only way to get some of
Sheri Coleman's belongings for her mother. Until the judge's order,
Chris Coleman's family had access to the home and its contents.The
lawsuit also seeks financial documents about Chris Coleman from Joyce
Meyer Ministries, a Fenton, Mo.-based evangelical Christian group for
which Coleman worked security until resigning after his arrest, and
from Coleman's father, Chester pastor Ronald Coleman.Any proceeds from the lawsuit, which seeks at least $100,000, would be used to erect a monument to the victims, attorneys said.Representatives
from Joyce Meyer Ministries were "working together with representatives
of Sheri Coleman's family and are gathering the information requested,"
said spokesman Roby Walker.No one returned a telephone message left Tuesday for Ronald Coleman at Grace Church Ministries.Bill Margulis, Chris Coleman's attorney, said he had not seen the lawsuit and could not immediately comment.

Police describe threatening letters, evidence at scene of Columbia triple murders


Twine found near bridge resembles cord from home where 3 were killed
BY BETH HUNDSDORFER AND GEORGE PAWLACZYK - News-Democrat

WATERLOO -- Detectives investigating
the strangulations of Sheri Coleman and her sons found an orange piece
of twine with a noose tied on one end near the Jefferson Barracks
Bridge that resembled twine used to tie four bales of hay found behind
the Colemans' home, according to search warrants unsealed Wednesday.

The search warrants were released on a judge's order in response to a
Belleville News-Democrat request filed last week with a Monroe County
judge.

Christopher Coleman, a 32-year-old former security guard
for the Joyce Meyer Ministries, faces three counts of first-degree
murder in the deaths of his wife and young sons. He remains in the
Monroe County Jail without bond.

For the first time since the investigation began, the contents of
threatening letters sent to the Colemans were revealed Wednesday.
Coleman told police Jan. 2 that someone had mailed the first letter to
the family home at 2854 Robert Drive.

According to a report by Columbia Police Sgt. Jason Donjon, the anonymous letter
read, "(Expletive)! Deny your God publicly or else! No more
opportunities. Time is running out for you and your family.

"The letter referred to someone traveling to Asia but doesn't refer to
anyone by name. Sheri Coleman participated in missionary trips to
southeast Asia, including Cambodia.

"Have a good time in India (expletive)!" the letter concluded.

Christopher Coleman went to police again -- on April 27 -- to report that he
received another letter. The contents of the second letter also are
listed in the search warrants records.

That letter stated, "I am giving you the last warning! You have not listened to me and you have
not changed your ways. I have warned you to stop traveling and stop
carrying on with this fake religious life of stealing people's money.

"The letter referred to an unnamed woman.

"You think you are so special to do what you do protecting or think you are
protecting her. She is a (expletive) and not worth doing it. Stop today
or else. I know your schedule. ... This is my last warning. Your worst
nightmare is about to happen!

"Police found the bodies of Sheri Coleman, 31, and her sons, Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9, before 7 a.m. May
5 after Coleman called Columbia Police from Gold's Gym in South St.
Louis County, saying he could not reach his family by telephone.

Also included in the search warrant information was a report from the
Columbia Police Department describing a horrific scene in the house
when officers arrived and found the bodies of Sheri and the two boys.

"After searching the first level of the house and finding no one, we went
upstairs to the second story. ... As I walked up the stairs, I looked
to my left and saw a white female lying on her stomach," Detective
Justin Barlow wrote. Barlow reported Sheri Coleman was naked and lying
face down.

"I yelled: 'Columbia Police' and she did not move. I called for an ambulance,'
" Barlow wrote in his report.

Barlow described red spray paint "all over the walls on the first story.

"The officer said he tried to determine whether Sheri Coleman was alive, and
noticed that rigor mortis had set in, which usually occurs within two
to three hours, according to experts.

"I attempted to slightly roll her over in order to see her eyes and check for breathing. I
noticed when I lifted her shoulder, her head and neck moved also. It
appeared rigor mortis had set in. I noticed the skin of her chest and
head appeared purple," Barlow reported.

A moment later, according to Barlow's affidavit, a fellow officer shouted, "There are a total of three victims.

"Barlow wrote in his report that he walked to the rear of an upstairs bedroom,
"and saw a younger boy lying on his bed. I checked for a pulse on the
younger boy but found none. I also noticed his face appeared slightly
purple.

"As officers searched the home, they heard Christopher
Coleman yelling from inside the house, "What's going on? What's going
on?" the affidavit stated.

The officer walked Coleman to the driveway, where he sat down and began crying, the report said.

According to the search warrants made public Wednesday, police also took into
evidence a greeting card addressed to Christopher Coleman's post office
box in Columbia from St. Petersburg, Fla., found in the glove box of
Coleman's 1998 green Ford Explorer. Police have said they conducted
interviews with several people from the Tampa area.

Enrico Mirabelli, Sheri Coleman's cousin and family spokesman, said
Christopher Coleman was engaged in a romantic relationship with a woman
from St. Petersburg. The woman went to high school with Sheri Coleman,
according to Mirabelli.

Police also seized an e-mail from the
U.S. postmaster in Columbia regarding an account payment due on a post
office box dated July 2, and a credit card receipt for $36 from the
Columbia post office from the same glove box.

Police also requested a search warrant on the body of Christopher Coleman seeking
any bodily fluid, tissue or marks of defensive struggle or "any
evidence that spray paint was used by the subject.

"Threatening messages in red spray paint were found inside the house, said
Belleville lawyer Jack Carey, who is representing Sheri Coleman's
family and on Tuesday filed a wrongful-death suit against Christopher
Coleman.

Laced with obscenities, the spray-painted graffiti
appears to have been directed at Sheri Coleman and include "punished"
in the downstairs dining room, "whore paid" or "u have paid" in an
upstairs room, and "I saw you leave, (expletive) you, I am always
watching" in the kitchen.

With the search warrant for Christopher
Coleman's body, police took two swabbings of his right hand and noted a
reddish injury to his right forearm, and two scratches on his right
forearm. Police also took handwriting samples from him.

A Home Depot receipt dated July 29 for the purchase of spray paint was
recovered from a travel bag that contained Christopher Coleman's wallet.

Police also took into evidence the original mini digital video cassette
containing sample footage taken from the Coleman home May 5, the day of
the murders, plus airplane tickets for Coleman and his boss, Joyce
Meyer.

Police also recovered two guns and bullets, several
pre-paid cell phones from inside the home, a Blackberry, digital
cameras and computer equipment from the Coleman home.

Also recovered from the basement office of the home was a sealed envelope
containing sales orders for Coleman's company -- Executive Innovations
-- as well as letters written by inmates to Joyce Meyer.

Police also took into evidence tickets to Disneyland found laying on Christopher Coleman's desk in the basement office.

http://www.bnd.com/homepage/story/785459.html

TELEVANGILIST LINKED TO MURDERS: Victims' family names Joyce Meyer in civil suit

The company of international televangelist Joyce Meyer has been cited
in a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of a former employee. Christopher Coleman resigned
his post as a security officer at Joyce Meyer Ministries after what the
company called a "violation of moral conduct."
Coleman has been charged with the strangulation of his wife and young sons after they were found dead
in their Columbia, IL. home in early May.
“This horrible tragedy had deeply saddened us all and although nothing can compensate for the loss
of the beautiful family, our ministry remains fully behind the diligent
efforts of the law enforcement community” said Meyer.
On the day the bodies were discovered she visited the home. Now the family of the murdered woman,
Sheri Coleman, has named the suspect's former employer and his
clergyman father as "respondents in discovery." That means they can be
ordered by the court to provide information about Coleman's finances,
work history, private conversations and emails.
Coleman, 32, was arrested
last week in the strangulation deaths of his wife, Sheri, 31, and sons
Garett, 11 and Gavin, 9. Coleman pleaded not guilty in his recent court
arraignment.