A Conflicted Christian and the Writing on the Wall : Chris Coleman

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Sheri, Garrett, and Gavin with me today. In May 2009, what appeared to be a devoted husband and father in Columbia, Illinois turned out to be something far darker. Christopher “Chris” Coleman, a former Marine and head of security for a prominent televangelist’s ministry, strangled his wife, Sheri Coleman, and their two young sons, 11-year-old Garett and 9-year-old Gavin, inside their family home while they slept. At first, investigators pursued threatening letters and emails sent to the family and to Chris’s employer, clues that seemed to hint at an external threat. But the truth that emerged was far more chilling: Chris had been leading a double life, engaging in an extramarital affair and plotting the murders in an effort to start a new life without the constraints of his marriage and job. During the investigation, police uncovered evidence that Chris had fabricated threats, emailed them from his own accounts, and sent them to his wife and ministry leaders to divert suspicion. He was arrested, tried, and in 2011 was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder for killing Sheri and the boys. The judge sentenced him to three life terms without the possibility of parole.