ON APRIL 26, 2002, AT 1:26 AM EST.
Lake County Superior Court Judge Richard W. Maroc
Prosecutor: Thomas W. Vanes, Richard Cook
Defense: Cornell Collins, Lonnie Randolph
Date of Murder: June 18, 1984
Victim(s): Tamika Turks B/F/7 (No relationship to Coleman)
Method of Murder: ligature strangulation with bedsheet
Summary: 7 year old Tamika and her 9 year old niece, Annie, were walking back from the candy store to their home when they were confronted by Debra Denise Brown and Coleman. Brown and Coleman convinced them to walk into the woods to play a game. Once there, they removed Tamika's shirt and tore it into small strips which they used to bind and gag the children. When Tamika began to cry, Brown held her nose and mouth while Coleman stomped on her chest. After carrying Tamika a short distance away, Annie was forced to perform oral sex on both Brown and Coleman, then Coleman raped her. Brown and Coleman then choked her until she was unconscious. When she awoke, they were gone. Tamika was found dead in the bushes nearby, strangled with an elastic strip of bedsheet. The same fabric was later found in the apartment shared by Coleman and Brown. Annie received cuts so deep that her intestines were protruding into her vagina. Evidence of a remarkably similar murder in Ohio was admitted at trial. These acts proved to be part of a midwestern crime spee by Coleman and Brown that included up to 8 murders, 7 rapes, 3 kidnappings , and 14 armed robberies. Coleman has accumulated death sentences in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.
Trial: Information/PC for Murder and DP filed (11-26-84); Motion for Detainer filed (05-17-85); Initial Hearing (10-01-85); Voir Dire (03-31-86, 04-01-86, 04-02-86); Jury Trial (04-02-86, 04-03-86, 04-04-86, 04-07-86, 04-08-86, 04-09-86, 04-10-86); Deliberations 02 hours; Verdict (04-11-86); DP Trial (04-12-86); Deliberations 1 hour, 40 minutes; Verdict (04-12-86); Court Sentencing (05-02-86); Brown Trial (05-07-86 to 05-22-86).
Conviction:
Murder, Attempted Murder (A Felony), Child Molesting (A Felony)
Sentencing:
May 7, 1986 (Death Sentence, 50 years, 50 years consecutive)
Aggravating Circumstances:
b(1) Child Molesting, b (7) 2 prior murder convictions in Ohio
Mitigating Circumstances: None
Direct Appeal:
Coleman v. State, 558 N.E.2d 1059 (Ind. August 24, 1990)
Conviction Affirmed 5-0 DP Affirmed 4-1
Shepard Opinion; Givan Pivarnik, Dickson concur; Debruler dissents.
Coleman v. Indiana, 111 S. Ct. 2912
(1991) (Cert. denied)
PCR:
05-15-92 PCR filed; Denied by Special Judge Richard J. Conroy on 03-23-95.
Coleman v. State, 703 N.E.2d 1022 (Ind. 1988) (Appeal of PCR denial)
Affirmed 5-0. Shepard Opinion; Dickson, Sullivan, selby, Boehm concur.
Coleman v. Indiana, 120 S.Ct. 1717, 146 L.Ed.2d 389 (2000).
Petition for Writ of Certiorari granted. Judgment vacated and remanded back to Indiana Supreme Court for further consideration in light of Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 120 S.Ct. 1495, 146 L.Ed.2d 389 (2000) (Where Virginia death sentence reversed on grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel, relying upon two-pronged test of Strickland)
Coleman v. State, 741 N.E.2d 697 (Ind. December 29, 2000)
(On Remand from U.S. Supreme Court to Indiana Supreme Court)
Conviction Affirmed 4-0; DP Affirmed 4-0
Shepard Opinion; Dickson, Sullivan, Boehm concur. Rucker did not participate.
Coleman v. Indiana, 122 S.Ct. 649 (2001).
Coleman v. Indiana, 122 S.Ct. 1137 (2002).
COLEMAN WAS INCARCERATED IN OHIO ON DEATH ROW SINCE HIS 1988 CONVICTIONS AND DEATH SENTENCE FOR AGGRAVATED MURDER IN HAMILTON COUNTY. COLEMAN WAS EXECUTED BY LETHAL INJECTION BY THE STATE OF OHIO ON APRIL 26, 2002, AT 1:26 AM EST. AT THE TIME OF HIS EXECUTION THERE WAS OVER 3,500 PRISONERS ON DEATH ROWS ACROSS THE U.S. COLEMAN WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH DEATH SENTENCES IN 3 STATES: INDIANA, OHIO, AND ILLINOIS.
Ohio:
State v. Coleman, 37 Ohio St.3d 286, 525 N.E.2d 792 (Ohio July 6, 1988).
(Direct appeal of murder conviction and death sentence in Hamilton County for the killing of Marlene Walters on July 13, 1984 - Affirmed)
Coleman v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 900, 109 S.Ct. 250, 102 L.Ed.2d 238 (October 11, 1988) (Cert. denied).
State v. Coleman, 45 Ohio St.3d 298, 544 N.E.2d 622 (Ohio September 20, 1989).
(Direct appeal of murder conviction and death sentence in Hamilton County for the killing of 15-year-old Tonnie Storey on July 19, 1984 - Affirmed)
Coleman v. Ohio, 493 U.S. 1051, 110 S.Ct. 855, 107 L.Ed.2d 849 (January 16, 1990) (Cert. denied).
Illinois:
People v. Coleman, 544 N.E.2d 330 (Ill. June 19, 1989).
(Direct appeal of murder conviction and death sentence in Lake County for the kidnapping and killing of 9-year-old Vernita Wheat on June 19, 1984 - Affirmed)
Coleman v. Illinois, 497 U.S. 1032, 110 S.Ct. 3294, 111 L.Ed.2d 802 (June 28, 1990) (Cert. denied).
As of July 1, 2006