Before Chris Watts, There Was Chris Coleman: The Chilling Story of a Family Erased.

[Music] [Music] hello and welcome to my channel today's case took place in Columbia Illinois on May 5th 2009 although this incident occurred earlier it is often compared to the highly publicized case of Chris Watts I invite you to listen to the details of this story in 2008 the Coleman family lived in a house in Columbia Illinois a small town in Monroe County located about 25 minutes south of St Lewis Missouri their residence was in an upper middle class neighborhood known for its tranqu qu ility Chris and Sher had two wonderful Sons Garrett age 11 and Gavin age n people around them agreed that Chris was a great father although he worked a lot he tried to spend all his free time with his children they played together laughed constantly and joked around Chris Coleman was born on March 20th 1977 while Sher Coleman nay Weiss was born on December 6th 1977 Chris was married to Sher Coleman the duo met in May 1997 at a K9 training seminar at laand air force base in San Antonio Chris and Sherry dated for a few months before getting married their marriage was full of ups and downs as they disagreed on many things his parents especially his father Ron a pastor reportedly disapproved of Sherry from the start they felt she did not share the family strict religion values and even suspected she might have trapped Chris in the relationship this perception led to a long-standing tension as his parents believed Sherry's lifestyle and personality were incompatible with their values causing a persistent strain on their relationship with her the colemans lived in a beautiful home in the most desirable part of town and according to friends and family they were simply the perfect family the couple led a comfortable life as Chris a former Marine had secured an excellent paying job as head of security for the well-known televangelist Joyce Meyer the founder and leader of a Christian Ministry rooted in protestantism thanks to her television and radio programs and several best-selling books Joyce Meyer was among the wealthiest Pastors in the United States however Maya was also a highly controversial figure she had many detractors as as well as loyal supporters some of whom posed potential risks to her safety every day she received hateful emails with some senders going so far as to make direct death threats as the head of security it was Also Chris's responsibility to monitor this correspondence Chris's job came with significant duties but one of the most challenging aspects was Joyce's constant travel schedule as she toured the country to meet with her followers Chris had to accompany her sometimes being away from home for weeks at a time though his impressive salary over $100,000 a year helped compensate for these inconveniences Chris's frequent absences were a source of great stress for his family Sherry and the children missed him deeply the boys marked the days of his absence on the calendar counting down to his return these constant trips also led to marital strain Sherry felt not only lonely but overwhelmed by household responsibilities in October 2008 Chris had to travel to Tampa Florida Sherry who had attended High School in Florida took the opportunity to reach out to her old friend Tara who still lived in Tampa and asked if she would like to meet Chris Chris met Tara lince who also had connections with Joyce Meers Ministries where Chris worked as head of security their initial contact became more personal during CHR Chris's work rated visit to Florida in 2008 although Tara was a close friend of Sher Coleman the relationship between her and Chris eventually turned into an affair with the two communicating frequently through texts and calls Chris confided in her about the loneliness he often felt during his separations from Sherry and the boys fortunately after this lengthy trip Chris would not need to travel again for several weeks so he was eager to enjoy as much time as he could with his family at home however it soon became clear that his time with his family would be far from peaceful on Friday November 14th 2008 late in the evening a disturbing message appeared in his working box from a sender with the ominous handle destroy Chris the message read Maya needs to stop putting out those worthless sermons or the Coleman family will die I will kill his wife and children the next day Chris received several more emails with similar threats the sender was the same destroy Chris who seemed to know a lot about Chris's travel schedule and was aware that he was about to leave for another trip with Meer the writer hinted that they might Target the Coleman family during Chris's absence with considerable hesitation Chris finally decided to inform Sherry about the threats he was receiving Sherry was Terri terrified a few days later Chris reported the threats to the police officers questioned him about whether anyone in Joyce Meer Circle had ever received similar threats Chris stated that as far as he knew nothing like this had happened before after reviewing all the information the police openly stated that there was little they could do for the time being so Chris requested that they increase Patrols in the area especially while he was away the additional patrols were visible yet Sherry remained extremely anxious she often asked her friend to stay overnight and repeatedly criticized Chris accusing him of putting his job before his family's safety about two months past one day Chris collected the mail from the Box in front of their house and found a suspicious envelope no return address no postage his instincts were correct the letter warned that the final hour was approach ing for him and his family threatening they would all die in their sleep this escalation was more serious as it proved the anonymous sender knew Chris's home address and wasn't afraid to come close soon more letters arrived containing messages like we're watching you through your windows in response Chris and Sherry decided to install cameras around their home hoping to catch whoever was leaving the letters the footage was recorded and stored on a home computer strange ly as soon as the system was installed the letters stopped coming the Coleman family gradually regained a sense of Peace it's reasonable to assume that this newfound calm also improved their marriage by Spring 2009 according to emails Sherry wrote to a friend in April the couple's relationship had significantly improved the situation changed completely on April 27th when Chris once again pulled an unmarked envelope from the mailbox opening it he braced himself anticipating that the Letter's contents would be anything but Pleasant and he was right the opening line read your worst nightmare will come true with the rest of the letter adopting an even more aggressive tone than in the previous messages Chris immediately ran into the house to review footage from the night of April 26th to 27th sure enough the video showed a figure approaching the mailbox and dropping something inside but only the dark outline of the person was visible making identification impossible the couple reported everything to the police who intensified Patrols in the area even further one of the neighborhood residents Justin who happened to be a police sergeant and Chris's immediate neighbor offered his support although Chris and Justin had no social interactions despite living close by Justin reached out on his own initiative he called Chris assuring him that he was available if anything happened and that he could reach Chris's house faster than other officers Justin also suggested installing a camera in his three-year-old son's room which would record the entrance to Chris's property and his mailbox Chris gladly accepted the offer and the camera was installed a few days passed and nothing happened on Monday afternoon May 4th 11-year-old Garrett Coleman asked the mother of his friend Brandon who lived four houses down if he and his younger brother could spend the night Garrett's birthday had been four days earlier and Brandon's was the next day so the boys wanted to celebrate with a sort of birthday sleepover Vanessa Brandon's mother agreed immediately saying run home and tell your mom and dad to pack clothes and school things for tomorrow excited Garrett ran home but returned a few minutes later looking disappointed my dad says we can't stay over tonight and we have to be home by 8:30 he informed her a bit surprised but respecting the parents decision Vanessa promised Garrett that he and his brother could stay over the following Saturday instead at exactly 8:30 p. m. as requested Vanessa sent Garrett and Gavin home the next morning morning Tuesday May 5th at precisely 6:42 a.

m. Justin the Coleman family's neighbor and a police officer was jolted awake by a loud phone ring groggy having fallen asleep only 3 hours earlier after putting his six-month-old to bed Justin picked up the receiver on the line was an anxious Chris Coleman he explained that he had left for a workout about an hour ago but had been trying unsuccessfully to reach his family at home initially he wanted to make make sure they hadn't overslept but by now he was deeply worried as no one was answering or returning his messages please could you go check to make sure everything's okay I'm on the Barrack bridge and I'll be there in 5 minutes Chris pleaded Justin sprang into action grabbing his service weapon radio and handcuffs before heading out he called the station to request backup as Justin approached the Coleman home he genuinely expected that Jerry would answer the door resolving the situation easily however that didn't happen Justin knocked and rang the bell but there was only silence he tried peering inside Through the Windows but the blinds blocked his view the house was dark with no lights on and no visible movement soon another Officer Jason arrived at the scene while Justin waited on the front porch Jason went around to the back of the house to check if anyone was there moments later Jason called Justin over the radio informing him that there were signs of a Breakin near a basement window at that point Justin was certain something was wrong the officers called for backup and entered the house as Justin and Jason entered the home they immediately noticed that the security alarm cables had been disconnected climbing the stairs from the basement they were hit by the overwhelming scent of spray paint it soon became clear why the wall walls in the hall were covered with large red spray painted graffiti the messages included violent and hostile language such as this is your punishment and Fu indicating a personal and vengeful motive investigators noted that these messages echoed the threats received by the Coleman family in the months leading up to the incident underscoring the disturbing and targeted nature of the crime around this time Chris arrived at the house just as the additional officers summoned by Justin pulled up the officers requested that he stay outside Chris visibly shaken complied without question as they proceeded to the staircase they noticed more spray painted messages on the wall by the stairs leading up these markings seemed as if they were meant to direct someone upstairs guiding them along in a deliberate unsettling manner with the ground floor already searched Justin along with his colleagues as backup had arrived in the meantime continued to the Upper Floor Justin went into the bedroom of 11-year-old Garrett the scene inside the Coleman home was tragic 11-year-old Garrett lay motionless on his bed appearing as though he were sleeping Justin checked for a pulse but there were no signs of Life Garrett's body felt cold and rigid noticing a red mark around the boy's neck it became evident he had been strangled in the adjacent room Officer Steve P discovered Garrett's younger brother Gavin also lifeless in his bed bearing a similar strangulation mark on his neck in the parents bedroom they found Sherry she was naked her body also cold and stiff like that of her children and there were clear signs of a struggle on her body as the officer processed this Grim scene they heard Chris calling out loudly what's going on overwhelmed by the weight of the task ahead they descended the stairs knowing they had to inform the father that his wife and children were dead finding the right words was nearly impossible Chris they didn't make it one officer said gently they didn't make it Chris broke down upon realizing the horrific truth truth the officers escorted him outside where he collapsed on the ground curled up and sobbing he pulled out his phone and called his father saying something terrible has happened to the boys and Sherry as a crowd of onlookers gathered outside the Coleman Home Police moved Chris to an ambulance to Shield him from both the public and approaching reporters police tape was placed around the property to keep onlookers and press at B Vanessa Brandon's mother was taking her son and another neighborhood boy to school for Brandon's birthday each carrying treats she noticed the police presence and assumed the kids were delaying school but her steps halted when she saw the Coleman home surrounded by yellow police tape Chris was taken to the station where detectives asked him to recount the previous evening and any unusual occurrences Chris initially claimed his marriage was happy despite a rough patch in 2008 and denied having an affair however he eventually mentioned his connection with Tara a friend he met on a Florida business trip with Sherry's knowledge pressed further Chris admitted they exchanged explicit messages photos and videos which Sherry likely wouldn't have approved of police then questioned Tara who quickly disclosed that she and Chris had been romantically involved since November 2008 around the same time Chris began receiving threatening emails detectives found this suspicious Chris ultimately admitted the affair but claimed it had ended suggesting Tara had pressured him to leave his family for her the police soon considered Tara a potential suspect investigating her whereabouts during the crime given the heinous nature of the murder of a mother and two young children the case garnered national attention prompting a task force of 25 officers who worked nearly Around the Clock it didn't take long to verify Tara's Alibi as she had been in Florida investigators also examined the threatening emails Chris had allegedly received digital forensics quickly revealed a shocking twist one sender using the name destroy Chris had been sending threats from Chris Coleman's own IP address implying he was the source further analysis match Chris's handwriting to the red spray painted messages at the crime scene and the paint itself was traced back to a purchase Chris made in early 2009 we've got um when when you left the house this morning was your wife alive oh yeah um what would you say if I told you I that I don't think she was I don't know I don't know what to say tell you I mean I think she was I mean she was okay she was laying right beside me right and I'm not doubting that I'm not doubting that that you were there and I'm not doubting that you care but I am I am doubting that she was alive when you left this morning physically um what we have are different ways to tell how long a person's been deceased that was done and what do you think that showed I don't know I guess the time frame When I Was Gone I me no you guess wrong Chris we we need to get this resolved okay that you can't argue with physical evidence I'm not trying to argue with it at all what what I'm telling you is there is no other explanation there's no other reason that the information we have would support what you're telling us that it can't it can't you've told us a story and we've gone over it numerous times you know what we walk out Justin Maybe maybe we missed this let's go Ahad and talk to him about this and just make sure that we're not missing something let's give him every opportunity to tell us exactly what happened and and maybe we're missing something so that's why we go out and we come back in and we go out and we come back in I did have to use a restroom that was legitimate but we go out and we come back in and we felt very comfortable that we were given you every opportunity to tell us something that was going to contradict the information that we had MH all right we we've got this information you're saying it and and and we're giving you opportunity to to give us something contrary to what you've told us before so that okay yeah all right that would make sense that hasn't happened that hasn't happened listen man she wasn't alive when you left she was alive she was she was laying right beside me to we can go back and forth with this all day long but the physical evidence doesn't lie she was she was not alive when you left this morning the children weren't alive when you left this morning yes they were no come on Chris we got we got to get over this now there's reasons there's reasons and that's what we're that's the point we're at I want to hear the reasons now is when we need to find out what happened man it's so important you're at a great point to be able to help us to try to figure this out we already have we we already know what happened we need to know why it happened all right to tell you listen no you do you do know what to tell us no I don't come on Chris she was she was not alive when you left the children were not alive when you left you know that's true and I know that's true no we need to clear this up now we need to clear it up now did something happen what happened what was what was going on in your life Chris because I can't buy what you're saying the physical evidence does not lie Chris it does not she was not alive when you left period the physical evidence does not lie man what do you want me to tell you truth the truth telling you the truth how how how did how did how did we get to this point that's what I need to know I need to know how and why we got to the point we're at right now we both know you're not telling me the truth we both know that I've done this a long time I'm looking into your eyes and I can tell you you're not being truthful Chris we need we need an answer we our answers as bad as this sounds as bad as this looks or you may think it looks we understand and I've talked to many people who have given me reasons and it's like you know what okay all right I I can understand how somebody might have been feeling that at that time and and maybe they acted on it and they shouldn't have and they regret it there's no way to turn clocks back you can't turn the clocks back you understand that don't you you can't turn the clock back the only thing we can do is go forward from this point and we need to know what and why it happened come on Chris help me out with this I'm telling you I've already told you I've told everybody I told the guy in the ambulance I told you I told him the the more we go back like this the more it makes me think that there maybe even even isn't a good explanation for it I mean I mean we need to know what happened we can't keep going on this it didn't you know she was alive when I left we know that's not true and there's nothing we can do about changing that if we know she wasn't alive when when when you left this morning there's got to be an explanation now is the time to tell us now is the time to get this out in the open I don't know what else to tell you yes you do yes you do you have to tell me the truth Chris I'm telling you the truth you you were you involved in her death no okay was someone you know involved in her death I don't know did you know um did you did you talk to anybody about arranging her death no absolutely not okay um you're you're autopsies revealed that Sherry 31 Garrett 11 and Gavin 9 were killed around 3:00 a. m.