Messages and Threats

Summary

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48 Hours – “Messages and Threats”

CBS News | October 16, 2025

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Episode Overview

This gripping episode of “48 Hours” investigates the brutal murders of Sherry Coleman and her two young sons in Columbia, Illinois in 2009. The story peels back chilling layers: from eerie threats tied to a powerful religious ministry, to a supposedly perfect family, to a disturbing double life, culminating in a tense and emotional murder trial. Through meticulous reporting, first-hand interviews, and key evidence, correspondents unpack how suspicion gradually turned inward towards Chris Coleman—the family’s husband, father, head of security for televangelist Joyce Meyer, and ultimately, the convicted killer.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Discovery of the Crime Scene

• Critical Moment:

  • Detective Sgt. Justin Barlow, a neighbor, describes the initial entry:
    • “I got the phone call from my neighbor Christopher Coleman...He said, I'm calling Sherry. Nobody's answering the phone. She should be up. He was concerned from the threats that they'd been receiving.” [00:46]
  • Barlow recalls the chilling atmosphere:
    • “A lot of Helter Skelter type of message. Manson style spray paintings on the wall saying ‘punished.’ It started with email threats, moved to written threats.” [01:38]

• Scene Details:

  • Entry found via basement window.
  • Hateful messages spray-painted in the house, including over Garrett’s body—direct references to the earlier threats. [06:14]
  • All three victims—Sherry (mother), Garrett (11), and Gavin (9)—strangled in their beds.

• Community Shock:

  • “If you don't believe in evil, I hope you do now.” [03:28]
  • The murders deeply rattled Columbia, “a small, quiet suburb outside of St. Louis.” [06:43]

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2. The Threats and Investigation Begins

• Background:

  • Chris Coleman had reported escalating threats tied to his high-profile work as Joyce Meyer’s head of security.
  • Threats warned: “If I can't get to Joyce, then I will get to someone close to her.” [10:26]
  • Hand-delivered, anonymous, and chillingly specific, culminating in: “Stop today or else. I know your schedule...I'm always watching.” [11:17]

• Neighbors and Police Response:

  • Extra patrols and surveillance installed, including a camera on the mailbox. [11:31]
  • Despite surveillance, the killer entered undetected.

• Investigative Pressure:

  • “There was a lot of fear that there was somebody out there killing families and who was going to be next.” [12:17]

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3. Focus on Chris Coleman

• Behavior Post-Crime:

  • Detective Barlow notes Coleman's lack of curiosity:
    • “Just the lack of reaction...the lack of curiosity of what’s going on.” [16:13]
  • Coleman never asked how his family died. [16:09]

• Coleman's Account:

  • Asserts he left early for the gym; called Sherry repeatedly that morning. [07:51]
  • Claims no affair, but then volunteers information about “Tara” in Florida. [16:57]
  • Tara Lintz was Sherry’s old high school friend and Coleman’s mistress.

• The Affair:

  • Tara provided police with emails, texts, photos—even wedding plans. [18:22-19:36]
  • “She, honest to God, believed that he was going to leave his wife and two children.” [19:52]

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4. Mounting Evidence and Red Flags

• Crime Scene Oddities:

  • Entry signs: basement window unlocked, no forced entry. [22:22]
  • No strangers recorded on surveillance; Coleman's own recorder missing. [22:55]
  • Coleman had scratches on his arms (he claimed from a satellite dish); police believed consistent with a struggle. [23:12-23:50]

• Timing and Technology:

  • Date of Coleman's affair start: November 5, 2008; threats began nine days later. [24:44-24:55]
  • Police digital forensics: threatening emails were traced back to Coleman’s own laptop. [35:38]

• Parent Reactions:

  • Coleman's parents insist on innocence, “He’s always been a real gentle person. Kind of quiet.” [20:15]
  • Family and community members feel betrayed as details surface.

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5. Handwriting and Charges

• Key Evidence:
  • “The crime scene led [investigators] 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.” [25:55]
  • After two weeks, Coleman charged with three counts of first-degree murder. [26:06]

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6. The Trial and Verdict

• Prosecution Strategy:

  • Motive: “I believe he became so enraptured by Tara Lentz, but he couldn’t get divorced...because he’d lose his hundred thousand dollar job with Joyce Meyer ministries.” [30:42]
  • Sherry had told friends: “If anything happened to her, Chris did it.” [31:53]

• Jury’s Struggle:

  • “People who turn out to be jurors have to accept the fact that parents kill their kids. It’s just hard to accept.” [28:56]
  • Initial vote: 7-5 not guilty, but all “thought he did it”—they were hung up on circumstantial evidence. [37:42-38:01]
  • Jury’s turning point: a photo of Chris and Tara proved the affair began before he claimed, discrediting his honesty. [38:25]

• Verdict:

  • After 15 hours: “The verdict was guilty.” [39:26]
  • Sentenced to life in prison (state death penalty recently repealed).

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7. Aftermath and Reflections

• Coleman’s Continued Denials:

  • “I absolutely love my wife and my kids. And this, you know, is not me.” [40:24]
  • When pressed: “That was a lie. I lied to Tara about [serving divorce papers].” [41:09]

• Community and Family:

  • Community built memorials, raised funds for domestic violence victims, plan Little League field in the boys’ honor. [41:54-42:38]
  • Friends and family struggled with forgiveness, haunted by their loss.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Horror of the Scene:

  • Detective Barlow: “I remember the smell of spray paint… messages saying ‘punished.’” [01:36]
  • “If you don't believe in evil, I hope you do now.” [03:28]

• On Suspicion Turning to Coleman:

  • “Just the lack of curiosity… sticks out in my mind.” — Det. Barlow [16:13]
  • “Chris never asked how his wife and children died.” [16:09]

• On the Affair’s Impact:

  • “She, honest to God, believed that he was going to leave his wife and two children.” — Investigator [19:36]

• On Motive:

  • “Greed, sex, selfishness, and narcissism. Chris Coleman decided he wanted a new life and his family was in the way.” — [28:20]

• On Sherry’s Fear:

  • “She told me that if anything happened to her, Chris did it.” — Kathy LaPlante [31:53]

• On the Jury’s Realization:

  • “If he could lie about this [the affair’s timeline], he’s lying about everything.” [38:25]

• Coleman’s Denial:

  • “I absolutely love my wife and my kids. And this, you know, is not me.” [40:24]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Discovery of the Crime Scene, Threats, and Community Impact: [00:46]–[14:43]
• Suspicions Toward Coleman and Affair Revealed: [16:04]–[20:39]
• Critical Forensic and Digital Evidence: [22:06]–[25:46], [35:35]–[36:22]
• Handwriting Evidence Ties to Chris: [25:55]
• Motive and Preparation for Trial: [28:20]–[33:51]
• Trial Strategies and Jury Deliberations: [34:07]–[39:26]
• Verdict, Sentencing, Aftermath, Reflections: [39:26]–[42:38]

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Conclusion

This “48 Hours” episode masterfully traces the tragic arc from seemingly random, external threats facing a wholesome American family to the dark unmasking of Chris Coleman’s secret life and the prosecutor’s chilling case for murder. Through the testimonies of friends, family, detectives, and even Coleman himself, the episode probes not just the crime but the ripples of betrayal and loss that haunted Columbia, Illinois. In the end, justice for Sherry, Garrett, and Gavin was achieved—but the memory of what was lost lingers powerfully, a testament to the show’s signature deep-dive into the anatomy of tragedy and the search for truth.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

May 5th is the day that's gonna stick with the men and women of this police department their entire careers. A monster, I mean monster comes to mind. Somebody with no soul. This was a promising family. A great. 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 answering the phone. She should be up. Tell him, hey, okay, I'll go over and check and we'll get somebody over there. He was concerned from the threats that they'd been receiving that he reported to us. My name's Justin Barlow. I was a detective sergeant for the Columbia, Illinois Police Department. I also happen 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 the hallway here, up the steps and the steps basically led into the kitchen. The first thing I remember was the smell of spray paint. We turned 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 saying punished. It started with email threads. Move to written threads. 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 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 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.

[A]

If you don't believe in evil, I.

[B]

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're following leads. We have leads in this case. We thought with the prior threats, that was going to be a very good lead for us who had such hatred for Chris Coleman. That's where our investigation was gonna start. This is Columbia. Innocent women and children will get murdered in their bed at night.

[A]

I'm Maureen maher. Tonight on 48 Hours. The writing on the wall. On the morning of May 5, 2009, Christopher Coleman returned home from the gym.

[B]

And.

[A]

To a scene of chaos and unimaginable horror.

[B]

Told him, hey, they didn't make it, being in the family. And we 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.

[A]

Detective Justin Barlow of the Columbia Police Department had been the Coleman's neighbor for five years and was the first to respond when Chris could reach his wife.

[B]

This crime scene, it wasn't bloody, but that didn't mean it was less gruesome.

[A]

Were you at all prepared for what you were about to walk into?

[B]

I don't think anybody could be prepared for that.

[A]

Upstairs where they should have been safe in their beds were 31 year old Sherry and the couple's two young boys, 11 year old Garrett and and 9 year old Gavin. What is the lasting image you have in your mind from that day?

[B]

I would say the one that sticks out the most would probably be Garrett, just because he's the one that, you know, I discovered.

[A]

Is that a haunting image for you even as a police officer?

[B]

Yeah, a little bit.

[A]

The killer had not only taken Garrett's life, but 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.

[B]

It was. And there were some remnants of the spray paint on him as well. We knew that this case was going to be probably the biggest one of our lives.

[A]

Columbia, Illinois, is a small, quiet suburb outside of St. Louis, a wonderful place.

[B]

To live and raise a family.

[A]

And Chief Joe Edwards immediately recognized that his two investigators were going to need some help. So we called in a special unit.

[B]

We're doing all we can to find out what happened in this house.

[A]

Major Jeff Connor and the Major K squad which brought in an army of 25 seasoned cops.

[B]

It's typically your smaller departments that need the resource, need the help.

[A]

Hours after the murders, the Major Case squad swung into high gear. The CSI 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.

[B]

Let's do everything we can for this man.

[A]

Coleman told investigators that it had been a normal morning.

[B]

What time did you leave your house to go to the gym this morning?

[A]

He got up and left for the gym around 5:40am and called Sherry numerous times to wake her up.

[B]

Then you called her again at 6:35am 6:43, 6:52am.

[A]

The bodies of Cherry Coleman and her sons as neighbors woke to the news of the murders were discovered shortly before 7 Tuesday morning. They were both devastated and terrified. So as I got down the street.

[B]

I seen that it was at the.

[A]

Coleman house and I text her right.

[B]

Away and said is everything okay? And I didn't get a response.

[A]

Vanessa Rigorex, who lived down the street said the Colemans appeared to have a perfect life raising their two beautiful sons.

[B]

I always thought of them as the.

[A]

American family, the perfect family. Everybody would want their children like these two boys.

[B]

Polite, always helpful.

[A]

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 K9 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.

[B]

Joyce Meyer is now known throughout the country and known throughout the world as a leading voice in the evangelical movement.

[A]

Jesus died to set us free and pretty successful organization financially.

[B]

She's extremely successful financially. I've seen figures from 50 to $100 million a year.

[A]

Reporter Nick Pister followed the case for two years and is a CBS News consultant.

[B]

Don't ever let the devil steal from you. Joyce Meyer travels all throughout the world, does conferences in countries that don't necessarily respond well to women who are preaching a Christian message. And so she wanted some deeper security.

[A]

But being 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.

[B]

Whenever Chris Coleman reported the first death threat, he came to us at the police department.

[A]

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.

[B]

We give the Coleman family extra patrol, which we just give it special attention to make sure nobody's there.

[A]

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?

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

Each note seemed to escalate the seriousness of the situation. And on April 27, less than a week before the murders, a fine missive arrived with an ultimatum.

[B]

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.

[A]

You decided to ramp things up yourself, to be proactive. And what did you do at your house?

[B]

We got one camera mounted up in my 5 year old's bedroom and pointed it right at the mailbox with the.

[A]

Camera aimed directly at the Coleman's mailbox.

[B]

The Coleman residents live at about 214ft approximately.

[A]

They hope to get a clear shot of whoever was leaving the notes.

[B]

Be prepared for something that was going to happen and be as proactive about it as we could.

[A]

Instead, days later, the killer somehow snuck into the Coleman home and strangled Sherri 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.

[B]

There was a lot of fear that there was somebody out there killing families and who was going to be next.

[A]

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[B]

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[B]

My prayer over this town is that.

[A]

There'D be healing that would come. There'd be a heart for mercy that.

[B]

Would come towards whoever that that went.

[A]

To this extreme and that Columbia could.

[B]

Begin to heal again. This touched an entire community. The neighbors were shocked. They saw the young boys playing hutch football. With their father on the front lawn, these were little boys that they knew.

[A]

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 a hole in my heart.

[B]

If I would have known for 1 millisecond she was in danger, I would have been down there.

[A]

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 on the inside. They were her world, those boys. They were her world, you know?

[B]

Garrett was more quiet and more of a thinker. You could tell by looking in his eyes. He was always thinking.

[A]

And Gavin was.

[B]

Gavin was very. He was outgoing. Outgoing. He was a very. He was like a social butterfly. His personality was just like his mom's, just like his mother's. With Sherry, Garrett, and Gavin, I mean, I think that just that's what the motivation was for everybody.

[A]

Hours into the investigation, the Major Case Squad continued to pursue their best lead, finding whoever wrote those threats.

[B]

We tracked down people across the country who didn't like Joyce Meyers, and we interviewed them to find out where they were at on May 4th and May 5th.

[A]

And that morning, they were hoping Chris might be able to point them in the right direction.

[B]

You suspect. I mean, out of all these emails and things you've been talking about at work, there's got to be one person that stands out in your mind. I don't have any clue. I wish I knew if I had just been there this morning.

[A]

But as police continued to talk to Coleman, they were surprised by how he was acting.

[B]

How do you think they died? No idea. You guys haven't told me. Okay. Do you have any clues?

[A]

Did he ever ask how his wife and children died? He never asked.

[B]

No.

[A]

What else sticks out in your mind from those first few hours?

[B]

Just the lack of reaction. I mean, just the lack of curiosity of what's going on.

[A]

So police kept probing.

[B]

Was there a problem in your relationship? Was there anything currently that wasn't going so well in your relationship? No, not really. I mean, it was the communication thing. Had you seen anyone else outside of your wife, Middle Atlantic way?

[A]

No. Chris was adamant that he was not having a relationship outside of his marriage. And so it seemed odd when he offered a stunning piece of information about another woman, Tara, in Florida.

[B]

That you guys want to talk to? I've talked to her a ton lately, but. And what's with that? Is this a friend, someone to talk to?

[A]

Tara Is Tara Lintz a cocktail waitress and an old high school friend of Sherry's?

[B]

Okay. You said you had a close friendship, but were you actually doing anything that you felt wouldn't be approved by your wife? Some of the conversations, probably.

[A]

Coleman insisted they were just friends, that he met Tara through Sherry when their family went to Florida on vacation.

[B]

Did it have the potential to go further?

[A]

No.

[B]

I didn't want to do that to my kids.

[A]

But during the interview, the Major case squad contacted police in Tara's hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, to check out Chris story Channel clear. Detective Shannon Halstead got the call. We went from the station to go.

[B]

Make contact with her, thinking it was.

[A]

Going to be a quick 20 minute.

[B]

Interview, and it ended up being very different.

[A]

That's because the information Halstead gained from Tara about the relationship was very different than what Chris was telling police in Illinois.

[B]

She provided the BlackBerry and the laptop computer.

[A]

Obviously had files of videos and emails.

[B]

Relating to their relationship.

[A]

Did you immediately step out and call St. Louis? I did. And what did you say to them?

[B]

I said, I'm not positive, but I think this is his girlfriend.

[A]

Armed with that information, Detective Barlow confronted Chris.

[B]

The one thing that I did want to tell you right now is the St. Petersburg homicide unit is talking to Taryn right now, and she's showing us the pictures that you sent her with YouTube. We know you guys have been having an affair.

[A]

So was that a pretty big break for you guys?

[B]

It was a important piece.

[A]

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.

[B]

Are you with me so far? I know you guys went to Hawaii together. We pulled the enterprise leasing cars where you guys went the different trips together. Right. This is just something. Well, and the other thing, too. I didn't think it was an affair. You didn't think it's an affair because she's terrible when you're like, living with them and you're gonna get married and.

[A]

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.

[B]

His wife and two children.

[A]

Chris 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. 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?

[B]

Not in my view. You couldn't put something around your kid's throat unless you're a monster.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You just have. It's not there. It's just not there.

[A]

While investigators believed Chris's affair with Tara Lentz 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.

[B]

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.

[A]

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. Meghan Turnbo 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 Lynz. 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.

[B]

I didn't even think about that.

[A]

The major K squad felt that pressure.

[B]

Obviously, in any case, you want to get the person responsible for it, but you want to get the right person.

[A]

But right away, there were red flags. Police were concerned when they found a basement window open and others unlocked.

[B]

Here's a guy whose family is being threatened they're going to destroy his family while he's gone. But yet that window was left unlocked. And it was obvious it was left unlocked because there was no forced entry.

[A]

And remember that camera Detective Barlow installed in his house?

[B]

You saw no strangers walking up and down the street. You saw no strange vehicles.

[A]

And Chris had even installed his own surveillance cameras in his house. What about the surveillance equipment that was allegedly in the house?

[B]

The recorder was missing.

[A]

That's convenient.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

An autopsy on Sherri revealed that she. She fought violently with her killer, leaving her with two black eyes.

[B]

Sherry was involved in an altercation before she was murdered. Those two boys weren't.

[A]

Which made scratches found on Chris Coleman's arms all the more suspicious. When did you first notice the scratches on his arms?

[B]

It was brought to my attention by people at the scene. How are you doing? I mean, is there anything that can get you freezing? Yeah. Okay.

[A]

Police say Coleman tried to hide them during his interview.

[B]

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 suspected marks on his arm. That'll work, won't it?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

He finally covered my arms up. I remember in the interview room it being very warm in that.

[A]

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?

[B]

I'll just say there wasn't any DNA found that didn't belong there. No boogeyman, no unidentified DNA, anything like that?

[A]

There was incriminating evidence found on Chris phone and computers, starting with X rated snapshots and videos that Tara and Chris had sent each other.

[B]

It was a serious affair. He had written down 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.

[A]

For police, that date would set off alarm bells. And how many days after that then did the threats start to show up?

[B]

About nine days after that.

[A]

Nine days. The Colemans insist it is all a coincidence. It's my understanding that he had written down November 5, the day Tara changed my life, that they had exchanged promise rings and that he had even written down their first child were to be a little girl. Is that true?

[B]

That's not true.

[A]

Honestly, I cannot imagine him doing that with anybody. He just didn't really operate in that arena of emotions. He just didn't. He was just very common logical sense. Chris parents believe 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?

[B]

At the crime scene, probably the handwriting on the walls.

[A]

But those samples would later come back to haunt him.

[B]

The crime scene led 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.

[A]

Finally, two weeks after the murders, police felt they had enough to make their case. And Christopher Coleman was charged with the first degree murder of his wife and two sons.

[B]

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. And they wanted him to be found guilty immediately.

[A]

Were you there when he was arrested?

[B]

Yes. It was at night. The worst scenario. We've lost three. We've lost Garrett and Gavin and Cherry. And now Chris is gone.

[A]

Sherry's friends and neighbors were relieved but angry at the toll it had 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.

[B]

I believe that had a major part of it. My name's Jack Wagner, host of Otherworld, a podcast featuring real people who experience something paranormal, supernatural or unexplained. I have no idea how I got there.

[A]

I don't think I've ever seen anything.

[B]

That looks like this.

[A]

It felt like electric stars on fire.

[B]

I started Otherworld to take a grounded approach to the paranormal, help people tell their own stories and encourage more to come forward. I certainly don't have the answers, but maybe one day we will. Join me as we explore our world's greatest, greatest mysteries. Listen to Otherworld now for free wherever you get your podcasts. His 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.

[A]

By the time Chris Coleman went on trial in April 2011, prosecutor Ed Parkinson and his team had spent two years building their case.

[B]

This was a huge case. This was like a 10,000 piece puzzle.

[A]

The murders of Sherry Coleman and her two young boys were a big case.

[B]

Three counts of first degree murder in.

[A]

The local media as well. Documents filed by Cross. 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?

[B]

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?

[A]

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.

[B]

And talked about it a while back about possibly maybe splitting up or something if he started meeting with actually one of the pastors from choices. Yeah, things have been going awesome.

[A]

Coleman insisted that he and his wife had merely hit a few bumps in the road and were helped by counseling. Sherry told her friends a different story. 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.

[B]

I believe he became so enraptured by Tara lentz, 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.

[A]

Parkinson believes Coleman was hoping to make a clean break before anyone caught on about the affair. In a videotaped deposition, Joyce meyer confirmed her ministry's zero tolerance of adultery. If he would have been having an.

[B]

Adulterous affair.

[A]

While he was still married, Then it could have definitely affected his. But eventually, Sherry did find out her husband was having an affair with her best friend from high school.

[B]

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.

[A]

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, Sherri and the boys were dead. What do you think the trigger was that made it May 5th?

[B]

I think Tara was pressing him. I think he just got pushed into his own corner. They had wedding dates planned. Chris had told Tara that he was serving Sherri with divorce papers. On May 5, the day of the homicides.

[A]

And had he ever filed divorce?

[B]

No.

[A]

Did he ever speak to an attorney?

[B]

No.

[A]

After hearing all about this other woman, the jury would finally get to meet her. It was the most anticipated moment of the trial. Tara Lynn's making her entrance under police escort.

[B]

She arrived at the courthouse almost like a Hollywood star arriving somewhere. It was a packed courtroom gallery.

[A]

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 that Tara had anything to do with the murders?

[B]

No, I don't.

[A]

And you don't think she had any idea that something was about to happen?

[B]

Nope. Not from any of the evidence. I don't believe that.

[A]

But the prosecutor does believe Coleman's lust for Tara had everything to do with it. And to 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?

[B]

No, absolutely not.

[A]

Chris Coleman had a prominent local defense team at his side when he went on trial for his life.

[B]

Another double edged sword in trying to use the fingerprint on the.

[A]

But John o' Gara and Bill Morgolin had to admit they faced an uphill battle.

[B]

The evidence was, although all circumstantial, it was very overwhelming.

[A]

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.

[B]

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.

[A]

The defense insists that Sherry, Garrett and Gavin could have been killed that morning during the hour and ten minutes that Coleman was gone.

[B]

You know, you can use various formulas, you know, the time of death is not an exact science.

[A]

As investigators kept building their case, something was troubling them about that trail of threatening letters and emails.

[B]

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.

[A]

The prosecution's computer experts discovered there was a good reason for that.

[B]

Those threats were typed on his laptop.

[A]

The email threats that came to him originated from his own laptop. Those threats were sent from an account called destroychrismail.com Defense Attorney Bill Margulis insists someone else could have sent them.

[B]

Anybody that had access to his computer, whether it was a co worker or anybody else, could have created that account.

[A]

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.

[B]

One can of that exact spray paint was purchased 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.

[A]

But if Coleman was the killer, it made this scene on the surveillance video recorded the afternoon before the bodies were discovered all the more chilling.

[B]

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.

[A]

Chris Coleman did not take the stand. 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. The first vote inside that jury room was seven to five not guilty. But not because they believed Cross Coleman was innocent.

[B]

We all thought he did it.

[A]

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.

[B]

Make him prove it.

[A]

As the deliberations entered a second day, crowds 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.

[B]

Good trio.

[A]

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 Lyntz kissing, they noticed it was taken on October 21, 2008. I think. Actually what I said was, oh, my God. And I said, what was the date that he said the affair started? Yeah, the dates didn't. Wasn't until November. November, November and the picture was created in October, way before they said they had 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.

[B]

Chris Coleman, in this case, guilty on all three of these counts.

[A]

And the crowd outside the courthouse erupted in applause and cheers.

[B]

I had never seen anything like what happened on the lawn of the courthouse that night.

[A]

The verdict was handed down on May 5, 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 mouth, 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?

[B]

No, absolutely not.

[A]

We spoke to Chris Coleman by phone because our cameras were not allowed in the inside the prison.

[B]

I absolutely love my wife and my kids. And this, you know, is not me.

[A]

How do you love your wife and be having an affair with one of her best friends?

[B]

Maybe I wasn't, you know, selfishly getting what I thought I might should be getting at home as far as with my wife, you know, from the physical side of things. But I still absolutely loved her.

[A]

Coleman denies he was planning to divorce Sherry to marry his mistress, Tara. So why does Tara say that?

[B]

It was discussed on several different things. You know, it was a conversation, but there was no specific plans or no dates, and nobody asked each other to be married or anything like that.

[A]

She also says that you had told her that you were serving divorce papers to Sherri.

[B]

You know, unfortunately. And I feel horrible about it. You know, if I ever talk to Tara again, that would be something that I would apologize to her about. That that was a lie. I lied to Tara about that.

[A]

So if he didn't murder his family, who did?

[B]

I have absolutely no clue. Believe me. I've racked my brain 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.

[A]

Forgiving and moving on has been difficult for Sherry's friends, still struggling to understand this incomprehensible crime. As a Christian, I feel like it's imperative that I forgive because Jesus forgave me, and I want to forgive with my whole heart. What makes it so hard to do that because they were so innocent. Sherry's 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.

[B]

They didn't deserve it.

[A]

This should have never happened. Should have never happened.

[B]

Streaming October 26th on Paramount. Plus it's the epic return of mayor of Kingstowne. Warden, you know who I am. Starring Academy award nominee Jeremy Renner. I sway in these walls. Emmy award winner Edie Falco.

[A]

You're an ex con who ran this place for years and now, now you can't do that.

[B]

And BAFTA award winner Lenny James. You're about to have a plague of outside is descend on your town. Let me tell you this. There's gonna be consequences. Mayor of Kingstown new season streaming October 26th on Paramount. Plus Sunday you can count on an NFL on CBS Week 7 schedule featuring divisional rivalries and must see QBs beginning with the Raiders on the road against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. A late afternoon showdown with the Colts taking on the Chargers or rookie sensation.

[A]

Jackson and dart and the Giants meeting the Broncos.

[B]

It all begins at noon eastern with the NFL today. You can always count on Sundays with the NFL on CBS and streaming on Paramount. Plus.