Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009

Triple murder suspect Coleman wants more time with family; trial set for August

Christopher Coleman was in Monroe County Circuit Court Friday asking a judge to give him better access to his family.

Defense attorney John O'Gara declined to elaborate on the exact issue with Coleman's jail visits.

Monroe County Sheriff Dan Kelly said after the hearing that Coleman is afforded visits with his family once a week, either on Wednesday afternoons or Sunday mornings at the jail.

Coleman is the son of Rev. Ron Coleman, who heads Grace Church Ministries in Chester. The church has services on Sunday mornings and Bible study on Wednesday evening, according to its Web site.

Coleman is segregated at the jail, where he is being held without bail, for his own protection, Kelly said.

"I don't know how other prisoners would react to him, given what he's charged with," Kelly said.

Coleman is charged with the first-degree murder of his wife Sheri Coleman, 31, and the couple's sons, Garett, 11 and Gavin, 9. He could face the death penalty, if he's convicted.

During the hearing, O'Gara and Assistant State's Attorney Kris Reitz tentatively set the trial for August.

Coleman, the former bodyguard of televangelist Joyce Meyer, is charged with strangling his wife and two young sons, who were found on May 5 in their home in Columbia. Prosecutors and lawyers for his wife's family have said Coleman was having an affair and wanted to be free of his family.

Ron Coleman, Coleman's father, attended Friday afternoon's hearing in Waterloo.

In other business during the hearing, Circuit Judge Milton Wharton signed an order allowing Coleman to receive copies of the police reports and other documents related to his case.

Wharton also ordered that any additional reports from police, the Illinois State Police Forensic Crime Lab or any other private laboratory have to be provided to Reitz who will share them with the defense.

The order also requires Dr. Michael Baden to turn over any reports or tests or anything related to the case.

Granite City Police Maj. Jeff Connor, who headed the investigation for the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, to determine the time of death. Baden is the former chief medical examiner for New York City and is the chief forensic pathologist for the New York State Police.

Police found the bodies of Sheri Coleman and her sons about 7 a.m. May 5 after Christopher Coleman called police from a Gold's Gym in south St. Louis and asked police to check on them. Baden placed the time of death between 11 p.m. and midnight of the previous day, when Coleman would have been home.

Wharton also ordered that motions for a change of venue should be filed in the next two weeks.

Coleman will next appear in court on March 29.