Charles Troy Coleman (March 15, 1947 – September 10, 1990) was an American convicted murderer and suspected

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who was executed in 1990 by the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. He was convicted in 1979 of the murder of John Seward, who, along with his wife, was killed by a shotgun blast in rural

Muskogee County Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 70,990. The county seat is Muskogee. The county and city were named for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. He also murdered Russell E. Lewis in a fatal carjacking in 1979 and is suspected of murdering the father of his former girlfriend in 1975. Despite killing at least three people, he was never convicted of the murder of Seward's wife and his sentence for Lewis's murder was overturned. Coleman was sentenced to death for the murder of John Seward and was executed after almost twelve years on

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...

at the

Oklahoma State Penitentiary The Oklahoma State Penitentiary, nicknamed "Big Mac", is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 750 male off ...

. He was executed via

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...

at the age of 43 after exhausting all appeals. He became the first person to be executed in Oklahoma since the 1966 electrocution of James Donald French after the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

reinstated the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

in 1976, and the first person in Oklahoma to be executed by lethal injection.

Early life

Coleman was born on March 15, 1947, in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

. He was one of eight siblings born into a low-income family that moved states frequently. His parents spent most of their money on alcohol. Coleman was described as a career criminal who had a lengthy criminal history on record. His criminal career began as early as age 11 when he stabbed a mule while gigging frogs with his brother. He then escaped from jail by slipping through the bars of his cell. His father later punished him for the offense by whipping him. At age 13, Coleman ran away from home. At age 15, he committed a burglary, and one month later, he escaped from a juvenile court after pulling a gun on an officer. At age 16, he got married, and the couple moved around all over the country, estimating to live in at least twenty states. Coleman continued to commit crimes and built up a lengthy rap sheet of offenses in multiple states. His offenses included: burglary, grand theft, auto larceny, carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, and receiving stolen property.

Murders

On August 24, 1975, 44-year-old Will Stidham was found dead inside his pickup truck in

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

. He had been beaten to death with a tire iron, and his wallet had been stolen. Stidham was the father of Coleman's girlfriend, 17-year-old Shirley Stidham. Authorities suspected Coleman was involved in the murder because Will Stidham had supposedly told Coleman not to date his daughter. Coleman's fingerprints were also found on the pickup truck Will's body had been found in. One of Coleman's brothers, Abraham Coleman, had allegedly bragged to a woman about being involved in the killing. However, he later denied this and said he had nothing to do with it. He passed a lie detector test, and Shirley Stidham provided Charles Coleman with an alibi, claiming he had been with her when her father had been murdered. However, according to media accounts, several months after the murder, Shirley Stidham had told police that her father had slapped her in front of Coleman. Coleman had then promised her that if she gave him a little more time, her father would not be around any longer. Coleman was prosecuted for the murder but was acquitted in July 1976. Attorneys who prosecuted him claim his charisma and charm helped him gain an acquittal, but they remained convinced he was guilty of the murder. In January 1979, while serving time in prison in California for a parole violation, Coleman was released and given a thirty-day travel permit to explore job possibilities in

Muskogee County, Oklahoma Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 70,990. The county seat is Muskogee. The county and city were named for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. At around 6:00 p.m., Coleman was stopped by police for a traffic violation. The pickup truck he was driving was searched, and several incriminating items were found. Roxie Seward's wallet was found on Coleman, and the stolen packets of frozen meat were found in his truck. A watch belonging to Delthea Warren was also discovered. In addition, it was determined that the shotgun used to carry out the murders was very rare, and Coleman was found to own one. Testimony also placed Coleman's pickup truck at the Warren's home at around the time the murders were committed. None of the evidence was refuted. Because of the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, Coleman was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of John and Roxie Seward. On April 23, 1979, while awaiting trial for the murder of the Sewards, Coleman escaped from the Muskogee County jail through its tarpaper roof. He broke into a home which he burglarized, and then stole the homeowners' car. The following day, Officer Tom Dotson pulled over Coleman for a speeding violation in

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

. An altercation followed, and Coleman slit Dotson's throat before stealing his revolver and forcing him into the backseat of his patrol car. Coleman left Dotson for dead and handcuffed him inside his locked patrol car. Two days later, Coleman carjacked Russell E. Lewis Jr. in

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, and fatally shot him in the head with the revolver he had stolen from Dotson. He then dumped Lewis' body down an embankment near Tulsa Park. The body was found two days later. On April 28, Coleman was pulled over in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Pima County Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the population ...

deputy Terry Parrish for driving erratically. After the two exchanged words, Coleman took out his gun and kidnapped Parrish. He stole Parrish's gun, handcuffed him, and drove him out into the desert in his patrol car. Coleman prepared to execute him but changed his mind and left him locked in the car out in the desert. Law enforcement had watched the confrontation from a helicopter and were able to direct units to Coleman's location. Coleman was arrested by Arizona law enforcement and taken into custody. The revolver, however, that had been used to murder Lewis, was nowhere to be found. Authorities found the weapon in the desert near where Parrish had been left for dead three months later.

Trial

Following his capture, Coleman was held at the Pima County Jail under maximum security. Mike Turpen, a Muskogee County District Attorney, then began extradition proceedings to bring Coleman back to Oklahoma to face trial for the murder of the Seward's. Coleman was to be tried in Muskogee County for the murder of John Seward, however, in July 1979, a Muskogee County judge granted a change of venue due to the level of publicity surrounding the case. As such, Coleman was tried in

Tahlequah Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century ...

instead. Coleman's trial began on September 26, 1979, with a six-man, six-woman jury selected. The prosecution rested their case on September 29. On October 1, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of John Seward. The following day, they recommended a death sentence. On October 12, Coleman was formally sentenced to death by District Judge Hardy Summers. Turpen, who prosecuted Coleman, held evidence against him in the murder of Roxie Seward in reserve in case another trial was ever needed. Turpen chose not to try Coleman for the murder of Roxie Seward because he felt there was no point, as Coleman had already been sentenced to death for John Seward's murder, and another trial would cost time and money. Coleman was also tried for the murder of Russell Lewis. He was found guilty, convicted, and sentenced to death again. However, in 1983, the sentence was overturned, following the discovery that a potential juror had been excluded from the trial after expressing doubts about the death penalty. The charge was not refiled.

Execution

In 1987, Coleman was nearly executed, but won a

stay of execution A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not always mean the death penalty. It refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed and i ...

from the

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Colorado * District of Kansas * Dist ...

. He was rescheduled for execution for September 10, 1990. In the month prior to his scheduled execution, his attorney asked the

Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is the parole board of the state of Oklahoma. The Board was created by an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution in 1944. The Board has the authority to empower the Governor of Oklahoma to grant pardons, parole ...

to recommend his sentence be commuted to life in prison. However, the board chairman denied Coleman a clemency hearing. A federal appeals court also denied him a stay of execution. On September 10, 1990, Coleman was executed at the

via

. He was pronounced dead at 12:35 a.m. Coleman was the first person to be executed in Oklahoma by lethal injection. The lethal injection process consisted of three drugs; the first to be injected was

sodium thiopental Sodium thiopental, also known as Sodium Pentothal (a trademark of Abbott Laboratories), thiopental, thiopentone, or Trapanal (also a trademark), is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate general anesthetic. It is the thiobarbiturate analog of pe ...

, followed by

pancuronium bromide Pancuronium (trademarked as Pavulon) is an aminosteroid muscle relaxant with various medical uses. It is used in euthanasia and is used in some states as the second of three drugs administered during lethal injections in the United States. Mecha ...

, and then

potassium chloride Potassium chloride (KCl, or potassium salt) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water, and its solutions have a salt ...

. Coleman declined a

last meal A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be. Contemporary restrictions in the United States In the United States, most states gi ...

. His last words were, "Just tell everybody I love them. I have peace and a quiet heart." When a minister read from

Matthew 7 Matthew 7 is the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This chapter is the last of the three chapters which comprise the Sermon on the Mount. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided i ...

, Coleman said, "Praise God, praise God." Coleman was the first person to be executed in Oklahoma in over twenty-four years, since the execution of James Donald French in 1966. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976, Coleman was the first person to be executed in Oklahoma, and the 138th in the United States.

Daisy Doe

In May 1988, the body of a woman was found in the Grand

Neosho River The Neosho River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain portions of Missouri and Arkansas. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National ...

beneath

Fort Gibson Dam The Fort Gibson Dam is a gravity dam on the Grand (Neosho) River in Oklahoma, north of the town of Fort Gibson. The dam forms Fort Gibson Lake. The primary purposes of the dam and lake are flood control and hydroelectric power production, alt ...

Cherokee County, Oklahoma Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,987. Its county seat is Tahlequah, which is also the capital of the Cherokee Nation.Burnett, Amanda"Cherokee County,"''Encyclope ...

. The woman had been murdered and had been attached to a concrete block that had been tied around her waist. Investigators were unable to identify her. Because a daisy tattoo was found on her shoulder, she was referred to as Daisy Doe. Her identity remained a mystery for nearly three decades until March 2015. The

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is an independent state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. The OSBI assists the county sheriff offices and city police departments of the state, and is the primary investigative ...

had prepared a presentation to

cold case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

detectives in regards to the Daisy Doe case. They discovered that her hands had been preserved in cold storage when gathering evidence. New technology allowed the investigators to take fingerprints of Daisy Doe. The fingerprints matched those of a woman who had been arrested in connection with the 1979 murders of John and Roxie Seward. The woman had never been charged in the murders but was identified as Jeanette Ellen Coleman. Jeanette Coleman had been the wife of Charles Coleman and the daughter of Will Stidham, who Coleman was suspected of murdering back in 1975. The discovery led investigators to suspect Charles Coleman could have been involved in her murder. However, it was determined that Coleman had been in jail when Jeanette had been murdered, ruling him out as a suspect. Three men were believed to be responsible, who investigators believe she met at a Muskogee bar before engaging in sexual intercourse near the dam. She then had a concrete block tied to her and was thrown into the river while still alive. One of the suspects was charged with first-degree murder in 2017. A District Attorney said he believes the other two men are since deceased.

In popular culture

Coleman is mentioned in the 2006

true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...

nonfiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

book, '' The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town'' by

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Am ...

. The book tells the story of

Ron Williamson Ronald Keith Williamson (February 3, 1953 – December 4, 2004) was a former minor league baseball catcher/pitcher who was one of two men wrongly convicted in 1988 in Oklahoma for the rape and murder of Debra Sue "Debbie" Carter. His former friend ...

, who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in 1988 in Oklahoma for rape and murder, who was later released when DNA evidence proved his innocence. According to the book, Williamson was not fond of Coleman, and many prisoners on death row at Oklahoma State Penitentiary were not too bothered about his execution, with some even celebrating the news.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Charles 1947 births 1990 deaths 20th-century executions by Oklahoma 20th-century executions of American people American people executed for murder People convicted of murder by Oklahoma People executed by Oklahoma by lethal injection People from Muskogee, Oklahoma Executed suspected serial killers