BANGOR, Maine — Dominic Sargent told jurors that after he saw his mother’s body lying on her bed and was unable to wake her: “I lost my mind and started crying.”
Sargent, 22, of Hancock testified on the second day of the trial of Keith Coleman, the man accused of strangling Sargent’s mother, younger brother and little sister. Sargent said he went to the Garland trailer where the victims were to check on their well-being.
His cousin, Rebecca Raye of Ellsworth, with whom Sargent was staying, had entered the trailer first and found the bodies of Christina Sargent, 36, and her daughter, Destiny Sargent, 8. Raye told jurors late Wednesday that she had looked in the room where Duwayne Coke, 10, later was found dead but did not see him in the dark.
“My cousin told me not to go down to aunt’s room, but I did,” Dominic Sargent, who is the oldest of Christina Sargent’s four children, said. “I saw my sister on the bed. Her arms and legs were spread and her eyes were wide open. Her mouth had something stuffed inside of it.
“After that, I went outside and screamed my head off because my family was dead,” he said.
Sargent said he thought that Duwayne had been kidnapped but later learned his brother was found by police dead in his bedroom.
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 after the friends he was staying with learned he was wanted by police.
The victims’ bodies were found about 9 p.m. Dec. 20, 2014, by Dominic Sargent, Raye and friends in the trailer at 12 Paul Road in Garland, owned by Sargent’s aunt, Andra Medina, who now lives in Albert Lea, Minnesota. Coleman lived there with Christina Sargent and her children. Police have said they died earlier that day.
Retired medical examiner Dr. Margaret Greenwald, who performed the autopsies on Christina Sargent and the boy, said both died of strangulation. Sargent was wearing only a pink bathrobe and had a pair of gray sweatpants tightly wrapped around her head and neck, then, tied in a knot, Greenwald said.
The doctor said she saw no signs of sexual assault but found some blood under the surface of her scalp similar to that found as a result of blunt force trauma.
Duwayne also died of strangulation, Greenwald told jurors. She said the boy was dressed, but not wearing socks or shoes, and that a USB cord had been wrapped twice around his neck and clothing wrapped around his head.
The trial was scheduled to resume Friday morning with the testimony of Dr. Mark Flomenbaum, chief medical examiner for the state of Maine. He performed the autopsy on Destiny, who allegedly was sexually assaulted by Coleman. The prosecution also is expected to call witnesses, who are not law enforcement officers, but who interacted with Coleman on Dec. 20 and 21, 2014.
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.