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In May 2009, the peaceful town of Columbia, Illinois, was shattered by a shocking discovery that forever changed the lives of everyone involved.
Christopher Coleman was a trusted security professional working for televangelist Joyce Meyer.
Chris Coleman was supposed to be the ideal picture of the perfect family man.
However, behind closed doors, secrets of infidelity, lies, and betrayal led to a tragic murder that shocked everyone.
This is the story of a father, a husband, and a man who chose a devastating path to preserve his double life.
If you wish to dive deeper into this haunting case after reading this post, One Last Kiss uncovers every chilling detail.
It captures both the horror and the heartbreak of this tragedy in details.
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| Sheri Coleman and her kids |
Love, Faith, and the Double Life of Chris Coleman
Before the grusome murder of his family, Chris Coleman’s life seemed perfect from the outside.
He was a former Marine and was raised by evangelical pastors.
He had dedicated himself to the church and looked like a man of strong faith and integrity.
He was married to Sheri Weiss, a woman he had met years earlier during military training.
Their love blossomed quickly, leading them to start a family.
Soon after, they welcomed their sons, Gavin and Garrett.
Together, they built a home filled with laughter, love, and promise—or so it seemed.
By 2009, Chris held a prestigious position in his church.
He was the head of security for Joyce Meyer Ministries and this role provided him a six-figure income.
Despite the demands of his work, the Coleman family appeared to be thriving, both emotionally and financially.
However, behind this facade, trouble was brewing.
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| Christopher Coleman and his wife, Sheri Coleman |
A Family Shattered by Suspicion and Secrets
Sheri Coleman began sensing something was amiss in late 2008.
Chris had grown very distant.
He was often preoccupied and unresponsive to her and the boys.
Friends recall Sheri confiding in them.
She admitted to them that her intuition told her that Chris might be involved with another woman.
In a chilling confession to one friend, Sheri even said, “If anything happens to me, Chris did it.”
Around this same time, Chris, Joyce Meyer, and her son began receiving threatening messages.
The letters warned of grave consequences for Chris and his family.
It also suggested that a malevolent stalker was lurking.
With growing unease, Chris turned to his neighbor, Detective Sergeant Justin Barlow for help.
His neighbor then installed a security camera outside the Coleman home inorder to observe what was happening.
The additional surveillance brought no leads, and the threatening letters persisted.
Despite her suspicions of her husband's infidelity, Sheri tried to maintain a sense of normalcy for her children.
But just a few months later, on May 5, 2009, Sheri and her sons would tragically lose their lives in an unspeakable act of violence.
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| Christopher Coleman and His Family |
A Grisly Discovery: The Morning of May 5th, 2009
The morning of May 5th, 2009, began like any other.
Chris left home early to go to the gym.
After he got to the gym, he placed several calls to Sheri throughout the morning, which went unanswered.
Growing increasingly concerned, Chris contacted the police, requesting a welfare check on his family.
Detective Sergeant Barlow and another officer arrived at the Coleman residence.
They quickly noticed a basement window was open.
Upon entering, they were greeted with a macabre scene.
Chilling messages in red spray paint covered the walls, with phrases like “I am always watching,” “U have paid,” and “punished.”
As they moved further into the home, they found the bodies of Sheri, Gavin, and Garrett in their beds.
Each of the bodies showed signs of strangulation.
To have a comprehensive look into the evidence and court proceedings, the ebook One Last Kiss offers an in-depth analysis.
It details how detectives painstakingly pieced together the clues.
Uncovering the Truth: The Investigation That Exposed a Double Life
As the investigation continued, detectives were struck by the calculated nature of the crime.
There were no signs of forced entry.
Also, the staged messages looked like they were crafted to mislead investigators.
It wasn’t long before Chris Coleman himself became a suspect.
His alibi was riddled with inconsistencies.
Additionally, his affair with a Florida woman named Tara Lintz—who had once been Sheri’s friend—soon came to light.
Digital evidence from computers, phone records, and text messages exposed the extent of Chris’s affair.
The two lovers exchanged messages, photos, and even met secretly while Chris traveled for work.
It was later revealed that Chris had allegedly told Tara he would "soon be free to marry her."
This hinted that he had planned a “solution” to his “family problem.”
Investigators unearthed additional clues that implicated Chris
On the morning of the murders, his cellphone tracking data showed he had taken a longer route home from the gym.
When confronted, he was unable to explain this inconsistency.
Detectives also found it unlikely that an outside intruder would have known the exact details necessary to impersonate Chris and manipulate his family’s trust.
Justice Served: Sentencing and Aftermath
In May 2011, after two long years of investigation, Chris Coleman faced a jury in court.
The evidence presented painted a dark and troubling picture.
It revealed the lengths he was willing to go to eliminate his family for the sake of his mistress.
After just 15 hours of deliberation, the jury found Chris Coleman guilty of three counts of first-degree murder.
The sentencing phase was emotionally charged, with prosecutors initially pushing for the death penalty.
However, due to Illinois’ recent abolition of capital punishment, Chris received three life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Chris Coleman’s actions left a permanent scar on his family and community, as well as on the minds of those who followed the case closely.
Although his life would continue behind bars, the trust that Sheri, Gavin, and Garrett placed in him—and that he shattered—would be a lasting burden he must bear.
If you want to dive deeper, One Last Kiss offers a heartbreaking exploration of how the Coleman family was shattered by betrayal.
In another case, a man was convicted of murder after he claimed the victim shot her self.
Click here for more details on that case.
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