UPDATED: 3:08 p.m.


The family of murder victim Sheri Coleman was allowed today to enter her former home in Columbia, which also was the crime scene.

“It was very hard,” said Enrico Mirabelli, Sheri Coleman's cousin.

Mirabelli declined to discuss specifics of the house because he said it could interfere with the police investigation.

Belleville lawyer Jack Carey, also representing the family, said numerous messages were written on the walls with red spray paint. Some of them included curse words, others were difficult to read. The messages were located in several rooms.

One of the words written said “punished,” according to Carey.

Carey said it looked as if someone was getting ready to move out of the house. No pictures were on the walls, he said.
 

EARLIER STORY:

Chris Coleman has been sued by the family of Sheri Coleman for the alleged wrongful death of his wife and two children.

The civil suit, filed today in Monroe County by Belleville lawyer Jack Carey, names both Joyce Meyer Ministries and Ronald Coleman as so-called “respondents in discovery,” meaning they can be ordered by the court to provide information to Sheri Coleman’s family, such as financial information, work history, and emails.

Chris Coleman, the son of minister Ron Coleman, was the security chief for televangelist Joyce Meyer. He resigned the position shortly after the murders.

The family says the suit aims to prevent Chris Coleman from profiting from the May 5 murders of Sheri Coleman, 31, and sons Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9.

Coleman, who remained largely out of sight after the murders, was arrested last week at his parents' home in Chester, Ill. He had shaved his blonde hair and adopted a military-style crew cut.

Police allege he killed his family by ligature strangulation in their separate bedrooms.

The police were immediately suspicious of Coleman, who police sources said was having an affair with a former gentleman’s club hostess in Florida.

Civil court action isn't uncommon in murder cases, particularly high profile ones. Nevertheless, the criminal case will have priority.


EARLIER STORY:

The family of Sheri Coleman plans to file a wrongful-death lawsuit today against her husband, Christopher Coleman, who is accused of killing her and their two sons in their home in Columbia, Ill.

Enrico J. Mirabelli, a Chicago lawyer who is a cousin of Sheri Coleman, said the filing will be accompanied by a press conference in front of the Monroe County Courthouse in Waterloo between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Her brother, Mario Weiss, also is expected to attend.

Sheri Coleman, 31, and sons Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9, were found dead May 5 in their bedrooms in the home at 2854 Robert Avenue. Police said they died of ligature strangulation, which means something such as a cord was used to kill them.

Christopher Coleman, 32, was charged last week with three counts of first-degree murder and held in jail in Waterloo without bond.

The purpose of the suit, according to Mirabelli, is "to ensure there is no ill-gotten gain from the murder of Sheri, Garett and Gavin."