Alton Coleman
Encyclopedia
Alton Coleman was an African-American spree killer
. He was executed by the state of Ohio
for the murder of 44-year-old Marlene Walters of Norwood, Ohio
during a six-state killing spree in 1984.
from three Midwest states: Illinois
, Ohio (twice) and Indiana
. At the time of his execution he was the only condemned person in the country to have death sentences in three states. His partner in crime, Debra Denise Brown, was originally slated to be executed in Ohio, but in 1991 her death sentence was commuted to life in prison by Governor Richard Celeste. She still has a death sentence
for the murder the duo committed in Indiana. However, Brown is serving her sentence, without possibility of parole
, in the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville
.
During the summer of 1984, 28-year-old Coleman and Brown, who was 21, embarked upon a killing spree through several Midwestern states. By the time the couple were caught, Coleman was charged or wanted for questioning in assault
s on at least 20 people in 13 separate attacks, including seven murders. Almost all of the victims were African-American like Coleman and Brown. Some authorities have said that was simply because the duo knew they would blend better in the black community, that there was no racial motive
in the murders, but there is some disagreement. John E. Douglas
, a retired FBI profiler, argues convincingly that there was at least some racial motivation in the attacks. On page 184 in The Anatomy of Motive, he cites evidence that Coleman, in the middle of a vicious assault, "went into a practically incoherent tirade about how blacks were forcing him to murder other blacks."
, and who was well-known to the Illinois law enforcement community. The son of a prostitute who often had sex with customers in his presence, he was charged with sex crimes six times between 1973 and 1983. Two of the cases were dismissed; Coleman pled guilty to lesser charges in two and was twice acquitted. Coleman was scheduled to go on trial in Illinois on charges stemming from the rape
of a 14-year-old girl when he fled and began his indiscriminate killing.
One of 11 children, Brown was borderline mentally retarded
, suffered head trauma
as a child, and was described as a "dependent personality." She was engaged to another man when she met Coleman in 1983, but left her family and moved in with him shortly afterward. Although a willing participant in the assaults and murders, Brown was never violent or in trouble with the law until she met up with Coleman.
In commuting Brown's sentence, Governor Celeste cited her low IQ
scores, ranging from 59 to 74, and her "master-slave" relationship with Coleman. Brown was one of eight Ohio death row
inmates to have her sentence commuted by Celeste - a staunch opponent of capital punishment - a week before he left office. Four of those whose sentences were commuted were the state's only female death row inmates.
Despite her nonviolent history before the spree, Brown remains unrepentant for her acts. During the sentencing phase of her first Ohio trial, Brown sent a note to the judge which read in part: "I killed the bitch and I don't give a damn. I had fun out of it."
, and was the mother of nine-year-old Vernita. On May 29, 1984, Coleman abducted Vernita to Waukegan. Her body was discovered on June 19, 1984 in an abandoned building, four blocks from Coleman's grandmother's apartment. The body was badly decomposed and the cause of death was ligature strangulation.
On May 31, 1984, Coleman befriended Robert Carpenter in Waukegan, and spent the night at his home. The next day he borrowed Carpenter's car to go to the store and never returned.
, where they encountered two young girls, 9-year-old Annie and her niece, 7-year-old Tamika Turks. Tamika's partially decomposed body was discovered on June 19. The cause of death was ligature strangulation. Annie survived, even though she was sexually assaulted by both Coleman and Brown.
The day Tamika's body was found, Coleman befriended Donna Williams, 25, of Gary. On July 11, Williams's badly decomposed body was discovered in Detroit, about a half-mile from where her car was found. The cause of death was again ligature strangulation.
On June 28, Coleman and Brown entered the home of Mr. and Mrs. Palmer Jones of Dearborn Heights, Michigan
. Palmer was handcuffed by Coleman and then badly beaten. Mrs. Jones was also attacked. Coleman ripped the Joneses' phone from the wall and stole their money and car.
, where Coleman befriended Virginia Temple, the mother of several children. Her eldest child was Rachelle, age nine. When Virginia dropped out of communication with relatives, they became concerned about the children and, entering the home, found the young children alone and frightened. Virginia's and Rachelle's bodies were discovered in a crawl space. A bracelet was missing from the home and later was found in Cincinnati
under the body of Tonnie Storey. The cause of death of both Virginia and Rachelle was strangulation.
The same morning as the murders of Virginia and Rachelle, Coleman and Brown entered the home of Frank and Dorothy Duvendack of Toledo, where Coleman proceeded to bind the couple with appliance and phone cords which had been cut. Coleman and Brown took money and the Duvendacks' car. One of Mrs. Duvendack's watches was stolen and found later under another victim.
Later that same day, Coleman and Brown appeared at the home of Reverend and Mrs. Millard Gay of Dayton
. They stayed with them and then accompanied them to a religious service in Lockwood on July 9. The next day the Gays dropped off Coleman and Brown in downtown Cincinnati.
By this time, Coleman had come to the attention of the FBI, which on July 12 added him to its Ten Most Wanted List
as a "special addition". Coleman was just the 10th person since the initiation of the list in 1950 to merit inclusion in such a manner.
Coleman and Brown bicycled into Norwood on July 13 at about 9:30 a.m. Less than three hours later they drove away in Harry Walters' car, leaving Harry Walters unconscious and his wife, Marlene, dead.
Harry Walters survived, and later testified that Coleman and Brown inquired about a camper he had put up for sale. Walters sat on the couch as he and Coleman discussed the trailer title. Coleman picked up a wooden candlestick and, after admiring it, hit Harry Walters on the back of the head. The force of the blow broke the candlestick and drove a chunk of bone against Mr. Walters' brain. From that point on, Mr. Walters remembered little else.
Sheri Walters, Harry and Marlene's daughter, came home from work at about 3:45 p.m. At the bottom of the basement steps, she found her her mother dead and her father barely alive. Both had ligatures around their throats and electrical cords tied around their bare feet. Her mother's hands were bound behind her back and her father's hands were handcuffed behind his back. Her mother's head was covered with a bloody sheet.
The coroner
indicated Marlene Walters had been struck on the head approximately 20 to 25 times. Twelve lacerations, some of which were made with a pair of Vise-Grips
, covered her face and scalp. The back of her skull was smashed to pieces. Parts of her skull and brain were missing.
The living room hallway and basement were splattered with blood. Fragments of a broken soda bottle, bearing Coleman's fingerprints, were found in the living room. Strands of Marlene Walters's hair were found on a bloodstained magazine rack located in the living room. Bloody footprints, made by two different kinds of shoes, were found in the basement.
The family car, a red Plymouth Reliant, was gone. Money, jewelry and shoes had been stolen. Left behind were two bicycles, clothes and shoes.
Two days later, the Reliant turned up abandoned in Kentucky
. The couple kidnapped Oline Carmical Jr., a Williamsburg
college professor, and drove back to Dayton with their victim locked in the trunk of the car. They abandoned this stolen vehicle in Dayton on July 17, and Carmical was rescued by authorities.
Coleman and Brown reappeared at the home of Millard and Kathryn Gay. Reverend Gay recognized Coleman, who was by this time the subject of a huge nationwide manhunt, and he and his wife were accosted with guns. Reverend Gay asked Coleman, "Why you want to do us like that, like this?" According to Gay, Coleman responded: "I'm not going to kill you, but we generally kills them where we go." Coleman and Brown took their car and headed back toward Evanston, Illinois
. Along the way they took time to steal another car in Indianapolis
, killing its owner, 77-year-old Eugene Scott..
on its Ten Most Wanted list
. On July 20, in Evanston, someone from Coleman’s old neighborhood pulled up to a red light. While he waited for the light to change, Coleman and Brown crossed the street in front of his car. He knew Coleman only casually but did recognize him. As Coleman and Brown continued walking west, the witness drove north to a gas station where the police were notified.
The information was dispatched and a description of the two was broadcast. As officers pulled into the area a detective saw Coleman and Brown sitting on portable bleachers in empty Mason Park, but noted they were wearing different T-shirt
s. The detective informed the other units just as two sergeants were driving by the park. As they heard the broadcast they turned and saw the two. As Coleman was approached, the officers observed Brown walking away from Coleman toward the rear of the park.
The detective joined the two sergeants and Coleman was approached for questioning. While Coleman was being interviewed, two other officers stopped Brown as she tried to exit the park. She was searched and a gun was found in her purse. Coleman had no identification and denied he was Alton Coleman. The pair were taken into custody without incident and transported to the Evanston Police Department, where both were identified by fingerprints.
In the police station Coleman was strip-searched and a steak knife was found between two pair of sweat socks he was wearing. When taken into custody they had a shopping bag full of different T-shirts and caps. It was learned as the two walked they would stop every three to four blocks to change shirts and caps.
A week after they were arrested, more than 50 law enforcement officials from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio met to plan their strategy for prosecuting Coleman and Brown. Michigan, which does not have the death penalty, was quickly ruled out as the place to begin and eventually Ohio was given the first shot at the alleged spree killers.
"We are convinced that prosecution (in Ohio) can most quickly and most likely result in the swiftest imposition of the death penalty against Alton Coleman and Debra Brown", U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb said.
By April 2002, time had run out for Coleman. His last-ditch effort to avoid lethal injection was unsuccessful when, on April 25, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected a claim by Coleman's attorneys that the state's plan to accommodate the large number of victims and survivors who wanted to view the execution would turn it into a "spectator sport". There were so many victims and survivors who were allowed to witness the execution that prison officials had to set up a closed-circuit viewing outside the death house.
For his final meal, Coleman ordered a well-done filet mignon
smothered with mushrooms, fried chicken
breasts, a salad with French dressing, sweet potato pie topped with whipped cream, French fries
, collard greens
, onion rings, cornbread
, broccoli
with melted cheese
and biscuits and gravy. He washed it all down with a Cherry Coke
.
On April 26, 2002, reciting Psalm 23
, Alton Coleman was executed by lethal injection in the death chamber at the state prison in Lucasville
. Reginald Wilkinson, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said Coleman did not convey remorse for the killings.
Spree killer
A spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...
. He was executed by the state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
for the murder of 44-year-old Marlene Walters of Norwood, Ohio
Norwood, Ohio
Norwood is the second most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The city is an enclave of the larger city of Cincinnati. The population was 21,675 at the 2000 census. Originally settled as an early suburb of Cincinnati in the wooded countryside north of the city, the area is...
during a six-state killing spree in 1984.
Overview
Coleman received four death sentencesCapital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
from three Midwest states: Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Ohio (twice) and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. At the time of his execution he was the only condemned person in the country to have death sentences in three states. His partner in crime, Debra Denise Brown, was originally slated to be executed in Ohio, but in 1991 her death sentence was commuted to life in prison by Governor Richard Celeste. She still has a death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
for the murder the duo committed in Indiana. However, Brown is serving her sentence, without possibility of parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
, in the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville
Marysville, Ohio
Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Ohio, United States. The population was 15,942 at the 2000 census, and the Census Bureau estimated that it had risen to 17,621 by 2006.Marysville's longtime slogan is "Where the Grass is Greener"...
.
During the summer of 1984, 28-year-old Coleman and Brown, who was 21, embarked upon a killing spree through several Midwestern states. By the time the couple were caught, Coleman was charged or wanted for questioning in assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
s on at least 20 people in 13 separate attacks, including seven murders. Almost all of the victims were African-American like Coleman and Brown. Some authorities have said that was simply because the duo knew they would blend better in the black community, that there was no racial motive
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in the murders, but there is some disagreement. John E. Douglas
John E. Douglas
John Edward Douglas , is a former special agent with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation , one of the first criminal profilers, and criminal psychology author.-Early life:...
, a retired FBI profiler, argues convincingly that there was at least some racial motivation in the attacks. On page 184 in The Anatomy of Motive, he cites evidence that Coleman, in the middle of a vicious assault, "went into a practically incoherent tirade about how blacks were forcing him to murder other blacks."
Background of Coleman and Brown
Coleman was a middle-school dropout who lived with his 73-year-old grandmother in Waukegan, IllinoisWaukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
, and who was well-known to the Illinois law enforcement community. The son of a prostitute who often had sex with customers in his presence, he was charged with sex crimes six times between 1973 and 1983. Two of the cases were dismissed; Coleman pled guilty to lesser charges in two and was twice acquitted. Coleman was scheduled to go on trial in Illinois on charges stemming from the rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
of a 14-year-old girl when he fled and began his indiscriminate killing.
One of 11 children, Brown was borderline mentally retarded
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
, suffered head trauma
Physical trauma
Trauma refers to "a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident." It can also be described as "a physical wound or injury, such as a fracture or blow." Major trauma can result in secondary complications such as circulatory shock, respiratory failure and death...
as a child, and was described as a "dependent personality." She was engaged to another man when she met Coleman in 1983, but left her family and moved in with him shortly afterward. Although a willing participant in the assaults and murders, Brown was never violent or in trouble with the law until she met up with Coleman.
In commuting Brown's sentence, Governor Celeste cited her low IQ
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
scores, ranging from 59 to 74, and her "master-slave" relationship with Coleman. Brown was one of eight Ohio death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmates to have her sentence commuted by Celeste - a staunch opponent of capital punishment - a week before he left office. Four of those whose sentences were commuted were the state's only female death row inmates.
Despite her nonviolent history before the spree, Brown remains unrepentant for her acts. During the sentencing phase of her first Ohio trial, Brown sent a note to the judge which read in part: "I killed the bitch and I don't give a damn. I had fun out of it."
May 1984
Their crimes began in May 1984 when Coleman befriended Juanita Wheat, who lived in Kenosha, WisconsinKenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
, and was the mother of nine-year-old Vernita. On May 29, 1984, Coleman abducted Vernita to Waukegan. Her body was discovered on June 19, 1984 in an abandoned building, four blocks from Coleman's grandmother's apartment. The body was badly decomposed and the cause of death was ligature strangulation.
On May 31, 1984, Coleman befriended Robert Carpenter in Waukegan, and spent the night at his home. The next day he borrowed Carpenter's car to go to the store and never returned.
June 1984
In June 1984, Coleman and Brown appeared in Gary, IndianaGary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, where they encountered two young girls, 9-year-old Annie and her niece, 7-year-old Tamika Turks. Tamika's partially decomposed body was discovered on June 19. The cause of death was ligature strangulation. Annie survived, even though she was sexually assaulted by both Coleman and Brown.
The day Tamika's body was found, Coleman befriended Donna Williams, 25, of Gary. On July 11, Williams's badly decomposed body was discovered in Detroit, about a half-mile from where her car was found. The cause of death was again ligature strangulation.
On June 28, Coleman and Brown entered the home of Mr. and Mrs. Palmer Jones of Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County, in the Detroit metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 57,774 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Palmer was handcuffed by Coleman and then badly beaten. Mrs. Jones was also attacked. Coleman ripped the Joneses' phone from the wall and stole their money and car.
July 1984
On July 5, Coleman and Brown came to Toledo, OhioToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, where Coleman befriended Virginia Temple, the mother of several children. Her eldest child was Rachelle, age nine. When Virginia dropped out of communication with relatives, they became concerned about the children and, entering the home, found the young children alone and frightened. Virginia's and Rachelle's bodies were discovered in a crawl space. A bracelet was missing from the home and later was found in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
under the body of Tonnie Storey. The cause of death of both Virginia and Rachelle was strangulation.
The same morning as the murders of Virginia and Rachelle, Coleman and Brown entered the home of Frank and Dorothy Duvendack of Toledo, where Coleman proceeded to bind the couple with appliance and phone cords which had been cut. Coleman and Brown took money and the Duvendacks' car. One of Mrs. Duvendack's watches was stolen and found later under another victim.
Later that same day, Coleman and Brown appeared at the home of Reverend and Mrs. Millard Gay of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. They stayed with them and then accompanied them to a religious service in Lockwood on July 9. The next day the Gays dropped off Coleman and Brown in downtown Cincinnati.
By this time, Coleman had come to the attention of the FBI, which on July 12 added him to its Ten Most Wanted List
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
as a "special addition". Coleman was just the 10th person since the initiation of the list in 1950 to merit inclusion in such a manner.
Coleman and Brown bicycled into Norwood on July 13 at about 9:30 a.m. Less than three hours later they drove away in Harry Walters' car, leaving Harry Walters unconscious and his wife, Marlene, dead.
Harry Walters survived, and later testified that Coleman and Brown inquired about a camper he had put up for sale. Walters sat on the couch as he and Coleman discussed the trailer title. Coleman picked up a wooden candlestick and, after admiring it, hit Harry Walters on the back of the head. The force of the blow broke the candlestick and drove a chunk of bone against Mr. Walters' brain. From that point on, Mr. Walters remembered little else.
Sheri Walters, Harry and Marlene's daughter, came home from work at about 3:45 p.m. At the bottom of the basement steps, she found her her mother dead and her father barely alive. Both had ligatures around their throats and electrical cords tied around their bare feet. Her mother's hands were bound behind her back and her father's hands were handcuffed behind his back. Her mother's head was covered with a bloody sheet.
The coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
indicated Marlene Walters had been struck on the head approximately 20 to 25 times. Twelve lacerations, some of which were made with a pair of Vise-Grips
Locking pliers
Locking pliers, Mole grips or Vise-Grips are pliers that can be locked into position, using an over-center action. One side of the handle includes a bolt that is used to adjust the spacing of the jaws, the other side of the handle often includes a lever to push the two sides of the handles apart...
, covered her face and scalp. The back of her skull was smashed to pieces. Parts of her skull and brain were missing.
The living room hallway and basement were splattered with blood. Fragments of a broken soda bottle, bearing Coleman's fingerprints, were found in the living room. Strands of Marlene Walters's hair were found on a bloodstained magazine rack located in the living room. Bloody footprints, made by two different kinds of shoes, were found in the basement.
The family car, a red Plymouth Reliant, was gone. Money, jewelry and shoes had been stolen. Left behind were two bicycles, clothes and shoes.
Two days later, the Reliant turned up abandoned in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The couple kidnapped Oline Carmical Jr., a Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,143 people, 1,928 households, and 1,127 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,102.5 people per square mile . There were 2,118 housing units at an average density of 454.0 per square mile...
college professor, and drove back to Dayton with their victim locked in the trunk of the car. They abandoned this stolen vehicle in Dayton on July 17, and Carmical was rescued by authorities.
Coleman and Brown reappeared at the home of Millard and Kathryn Gay. Reverend Gay recognized Coleman, who was by this time the subject of a huge nationwide manhunt, and he and his wife were accosted with guns. Reverend Gay asked Coleman, "Why you want to do us like that, like this?" According to Gay, Coleman responded: "I'm not going to kill you, but we generally kills them where we go." Coleman and Brown took their car and headed back toward Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. Along the way they took time to steal another car in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, killing its owner, 77-year-old Eugene Scott..
Capture and trial
On July 17, 1984, Alton Coleman became the 388th fugitive listed by the FBIFBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1980s
The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1980s is a list, maintained for a fourth decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.-FBI headlines in the 1980s:...
on its Ten Most Wanted list
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
. On July 20, in Evanston, someone from Coleman’s old neighborhood pulled up to a red light. While he waited for the light to change, Coleman and Brown crossed the street in front of his car. He knew Coleman only casually but did recognize him. As Coleman and Brown continued walking west, the witness drove north to a gas station where the police were notified.
The information was dispatched and a description of the two was broadcast. As officers pulled into the area a detective saw Coleman and Brown sitting on portable bleachers in empty Mason Park, but noted they were wearing different T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s. The detective informed the other units just as two sergeants were driving by the park. As they heard the broadcast they turned and saw the two. As Coleman was approached, the officers observed Brown walking away from Coleman toward the rear of the park.
The detective joined the two sergeants and Coleman was approached for questioning. While Coleman was being interviewed, two other officers stopped Brown as she tried to exit the park. She was searched and a gun was found in her purse. Coleman had no identification and denied he was Alton Coleman. The pair were taken into custody without incident and transported to the Evanston Police Department, where both were identified by fingerprints.
In the police station Coleman was strip-searched and a steak knife was found between two pair of sweat socks he was wearing. When taken into custody they had a shopping bag full of different T-shirts and caps. It was learned as the two walked they would stop every three to four blocks to change shirts and caps.
A week after they were arrested, more than 50 law enforcement officials from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio met to plan their strategy for prosecuting Coleman and Brown. Michigan, which does not have the death penalty, was quickly ruled out as the place to begin and eventually Ohio was given the first shot at the alleged spree killers.
"We are convinced that prosecution (in Ohio) can most quickly and most likely result in the swiftest imposition of the death penalty against Alton Coleman and Debra Brown", U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb said.
Appeals and execution
Ohio was successful in convicting Coleman and Brown on a pair of aggravated murder charges - in May 1985 for the murder of Tonnie Storey, and in June 1985 for the murder of Marlene Walters - as well as a plethora of other violent crimes. They were both sentenced to be executed, and the lengthy appeals process began. Coleman's case went to the U.S. Supreme Court several times between 1985 and 2002, but his numerous arguments that his conviction and death sentence were unconstitutional failed to sway the justices.By April 2002, time had run out for Coleman. His last-ditch effort to avoid lethal injection was unsuccessful when, on April 25, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected a claim by Coleman's attorneys that the state's plan to accommodate the large number of victims and survivors who wanted to view the execution would turn it into a "spectator sport". There were so many victims and survivors who were allowed to witness the execution that prison officials had to set up a closed-circuit viewing outside the death house.
For his final meal, Coleman ordered a well-done filet mignon
Filet mignon
Filet mignon is a steak cut of beef taken from the smaller end of the tenderloin, or psoas major of the beef carcass, usually a steer or heifer...
smothered with mushrooms, fried chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
breasts, a salad with French dressing, sweet potato pie topped with whipped cream, French fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
, collard greens
Collard greens
Collard greens are various loose-leafed cultivars of Brassica oleracea , the same species as cabbage and broccoli. The plant is grown for its large, dark-colored, edible leaves and as a garden ornamental, mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the southern United States, many parts of Africa, Montenegro,...
, onion rings, cornbread
Cornbread
Cornbread is a generic name for any number of quick breads containing cornmeal and leavened by baking powder.-History:Native Americans were using ground corn for food thousands of years before European explorers arrived in the New World...
, broccoli
Broccoli
Broccoli is a plant in the cabbage family, whose large flower head is used as a vegetable.-General:The word broccoli, from the Italian plural of , refers to "the flowering top of a cabbage"....
with melted cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
and biscuits and gravy. He washed it all down with a Cherry Coke
Coca-Cola Cherry
Coca-Cola Cherry, originally introduced as Cherry Coke, is a cherry-flavored version of Coca-Cola. It is produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company and its bottlers in the United States and some international markets.-History:Long before its official introduction in 1985, many diners and...
.
On April 26, 2002, reciting Psalm 23
Psalm 23
In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
, Alton Coleman was executed by lethal injection in the death chamber at the state prison in Lucasville
Lucasville, Ohio
Lucasville is a census-designated place in Scioto County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2000 census. The village of Lucasville was laid out by Captain John Lucas in June 1819 and recorded August 7, 1819. Captain Lucas built the first tavern in the village and kept it until...
. Reginald Wilkinson, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said Coleman did not convey remorse for the killings.
Court Decisions
- Coleman v. Mitchell, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 268 F.3d 417; 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 21639; 2001 FED App. 0367P (6th Cir.), October 10, 2001
- In re Coleman, Supreme Court of Ohio, 95 Ohio St. 3d 284; 2002 Ohio 1804; 767 N.E.2d 677; 2002 Ohio LEXIS 916, April 19, 2002
- State v. Brown, Supreme Court of Ohio, 38 Ohio St. 3d 305; 528 N.E.2d 523; 1988 Ohio LEXIS 289, August 31, 1988
- State v. Coleman, Supreme Court of Ohio, 37 Ohio St. 3d 286; 525 N.E.2d 792; 1988 Ohio LEXIS 212, July 6, 1988
- State v. Coleman, Court of Appeals of Ohio, First Appellate District, Hamilton County, 1987 Ohio App. LEXIS 9048, October 7, 1987
Media Articles
- "Midwest Fugitive Caught in Illinois", The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, July 21, 1984 - "FBI Adds to '10 Most Wanted' List", The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, July 12, 1984 - "Coleman's Execution Dulls Pain Only A Little", Columbus Dispatch (Ohio), April 27, 2002
External links
- Clark Prosecutor
- Debra Brown
- Debra Brown, Indiana Death Row
- Alton Coleman and Debra Brown from The Crime Library
- Picture of Alton Coleman from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
