Police Have Unnamed Suspect In Coleman Family Murders

Major Jeff Connor said the case evidence in the murder of a young mother and her two sons in a quiet Columbia, Ill., subdivision has been turned over to the Monroe County State's Attorney.

No charges have been filed.

Connor is the commander of the Major Case Squad's investigation into the murders Sheri Coleman, 31, and her two sons -- Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9 -- whose bodies were found in their home just before 7 a.m. on May 5.

Connor said they are focusing on one suspect, but would not name the person. (It is probably the father with the secret girlfriend. Who else would have such an intense grudge that they would have to murder innocent children? A statistically it would be the father.)

"Our investigation reveals who is responsible for these deaths," Connor said.


Monroe County State's Attorney Kris Reitz said: "I can't talk about the progress of the investigation. I don't have any comment beyond that."

Police have spent most of the last week focusing on Christopher Coleman, the husband and father of the woman and her sons. (They have spent the week focusing on Christopher Coleman, so if they have another suspect when did police find time to investigate them? All signs point to the father as the unnamed suspect.)

Shortly after the three were buried this morning in Chester, Christopher Coleman and his parents departed the cemetery and headed south.

Police followed Coleman out of the cemetery as the family drove south, police sources said. Major Case Squad commander Jeff Connor said that he will hold a press briefing between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. today.

William Margulis, one of Coleman's lawyers, said this afternoon that the family was headed to a doctor's appointment in Cape Girardeau for Coleman's mother. Margulis said Coleman's mother has "serious health problems."

"It has nothing to do with Chris," Margulis said.

At Chester's Evergreen Cemetery, the three murder victims were buried side-by-side -- Sheri, Garett and Gavin -- their graves adorned with a dozen overflowing flower arrangements.

Flowers decorated with white ribbons that said: "loving grandson," were on each of the boy's graves. On the mother's grave, a colorful arrangement had a pink ribbon on it that said: "Beloved daughter."

There are no headstones. Rather, small signs with their names and photos attached to them mark their graves.

Meanwhile, even though Christopher Coleman and his parents had left Chester, a police vehicle remained posted at the parent's house, where police said they had been all night.

The Major Case Squad has not named Christopher Coleman as a suspect. He has been interviewed by detectives and was fingerprinted under court order as recently as Monday.

The mother and her two sons were found shortly before 7 a.m. on May 5 by police.

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