BANGOR, Maine — A jury will decide what accused killer Keith Coleman meant when he told police, “I did it. I killed my girl.”
Was he confessing to strangling his girlfriend and then killing her children, nearly two years ago, as the prosecutor told jurors Wednesday?
Or, did Coleman mean he felt responsible for their deaths but was not the person who tied ligatures around their necks until they stopped breathing, as his attorney said.
The trial of Coleman, 29, of Garland got underway Wednesday afternoon before a jury of 10 men and six women, including four alternates. He is charged with three counts of intentional or knowing murder and one count of gross sexual assault.
Coleman was arrested Dec. 21, 2014, in Bucksport and charged in connection with the deaths of Christina Sargent, 36, her son, Duwayne Coke, 10, and her daughter, Destiny Sargent, 8.
The victims’ bodies were found about 9 p.m. Dec. 20, 2014, by concerned family members in the trailer at 12 Paul Road in Garland, where Coleman lived with Christina Sargent and her children. Police have said they died earlier that day.
Coleman, dressed in a shirt, black tie and brown slacks, showed no emotion during open statements and the testimony of two witnesses.
“It’s fair to say this was a troubled relationship,” Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber said in his opening statement. “On Dec. 20, 2014, it was a relationship that was ending.”
Macomber said that Sargent had told Coleman to move out of the trailer that was owned by her aunt Andra Medina, who now lives in Albert Lea, Minnesota. The prosecutor also told the jury that the evidence would show that Coleman sexually assaulted Destiny before he killed her.
“After he strangled them, Keith Coleman took [Christina] Sargent’s van, went down to the local store and bought himself a beer,” the prosecutor told the jury. “Then he went to stay with friends and co-workers in Bucksport [where he was arrested the next day].
“At the end of a four-hour interview with police, Keith Coleman said, ‘I did it. I killed my girl,’” Macomber said. “When the detective asked, ‘When you say you killed your girl, who do you mean,’ Keith Coleman said, ‘Chrissie and the kids.’”
Macomber said jurors would find Coleman guilty on all charges.
In her opening statement, defense attorney Martha Harris of Bangor described Coleman and Sargent’s relationship as a long and tumultuous one that was interfered with by other family members and neighbors. Harris said that one of those people was Sargent’s first cousin, Amanda Ellis of Walden, New York, with whom Coleman had a child.
“The evidence will show that these crimes most likely were committed by more than one person,” Harris said. “The ligatures found on the victims contained the DNA of some unknown person or persons.
“The evidence will show that Keith felt responsible for the death of these people because he had not protected them,” she said. “You will have to analyze what those statements really say and really mean.”
She said that jurors would exonerate Coleman.
The trial was scheduled to resume Thursday morning with testimony from one of Sargent’s surviving children who was with relatives when they went to the trailer and found the bodies.
The trial is expected to last at least two weeks.
Coleman has been held without bail since his arrest.
If convicted, Coleman faces between 25 years and life in prison. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a defendant convicted on multiple counts of murder may be sentenced to life in prison.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.