True Crime Junkie

WITH JOHNNY FLETCHER CHRISTOPHER COLEMAN

Many of you are probably familiar with the infamous Chris Watts case that grabbed the headlines a few years ago, primarily due to the unthinkable nature of the crime which involved the murders of Watts' pregnant wife Shanann and two innocent young daughters, Bella and Celeste. The idea that a seemingly mild-mannered husband with no history of violence could resort to such extremes confounded - and captivated, frankly - the nation as details of the triple homicide slowly came to light. What could possibly have driven Watts to do it? Eventually, his affair with co-worker Nichol Kessinger was uncovered - a secret obsessive relationship that ultimately drove him to wipe out his family for the sake of autonomy. Media coverage of the crime and the trial that followed was off the charts, but interestingly, there was a strikingly similar - and equally shocking - case from nine years prior that received far less attention.

The case in question also centered around a "Chris" - Christopher Coleman from Columbia, Illinois, who, like Watts, was white, in his early thirties and married with two young children. The two men even looked similar with short-cropped hair and bulbous heads. Employed as a bodyguard for worldfamous Christian televangelist Joyce Meyer, Coleman was reportedly well-liked and respected - but in private he had started to lead a double life at odds with the teachings of the church.

It all began when Coleman's wandering eye focused on his wife Sheri's best friend from high school, Tara Lintz. Soon the pair was engaged in an illicit affair that Coleman simply could not get enough of; he even planned for a future together with his mistress. Just one problem: like Watts, Coleman was hamstrung by his family - not to mention that divorce didn't play well in his Christian community. Feeling boxed in, Coleman devised a sick scheme to rid himself of responsibility and be free to carry on with Lintz at will.

In November 2008, Coleman began sending himself hateful, threatening messages targeting his family via the email address destroychris@gmail.com. These fictional threats reportedly alluded to his association with the Joyce Meyer empire, one in particular stating, "tell Joyce to stop preaching the bullsh*t or Chris and his family will be killed." In addition, Coleman claimed to have received disturbing letters through the mail. Cut to the morning of May 5, 2009 - Coleman left his home early in the morning to workout at a local gym. At 6:43 a.m. he called his neighbor, police detective Justin Barlow, and asked him to check on Sheri, stating that he had been unable to reach her by phone. Barlow duly walked over to the Coleman home and was met by a horrific scene: 11-year-old Garrett, 9-year-old Gavin and Sheri were all found strangled to death. On the walls Barlow noted similarly threatening messages spray-painted in red.

Still, Coleman's attempts to pin the murders on a fictional individual ultimately failed and he was sentenced to three life sentences. However, in March 2019 a judge granted the opportunity for a new trial on the grounds of ineffectual counsel.