BANGOR, Maine — A sobbing Keith Coleman confessed that he killed “Chrissie and the kids” in a videotaped interview played for jurors on the seventh day of his murder trial on Friday at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
Coleman, 29, of Garland is charged with three counts of intentional or knowing murder in the Dec. 20, 2014, deaths of Christina Sargent, 36, and her children, 8-year-old Destiny Sargent and 10-year-old Duwayne Coke. Coleman also is charged with one count of gross sexual assault on the girl.
He was arrested Dec. 21, 2014, in Bucksport after the friends he was staying with learned he was wanted by police. Detectives with the Maine State Police interviewed him that night at their Bangor offices.
The prosecution said in its opening statement last week that Coleman confessed to killing all three at the end of a more than four-hour interview with Maine State Police.
Jurors followed along with transcripts as a portion of the interview was played Friday. At times, it was difficult to understand what Coleman was saying because he was sobbing so hard and because of the quality of the audio.
Toward the end of the interview, detectives Greg Mitchell and Thomas Pickering pressed Coleman to tell them what happened at the trailer he shared with Christina Sargent and her children. Coleman broke down and told them that he went to the store in Exeter, bought a beer and returned home to find them dead.
“I ran as soon as I saw them like that,” he said. “I ran. I came back [from the store] and the door was busted open. I saw Chrissy [expletive] up in the bed.”
Coleman said he thought his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend, who lived in New York, had killed them.
“I knew they were going to try to blame me for it because Chrissy and me had been fighting so much,” he said.
Coleman also told detectives that he was too scared of the killers to call police.
“I’m not proud of the way I did,” he said, sobbing. “I ain’t proud of that [expletive]. Not at all. I couldn’t protect them and I ran.”
Mitchell then told Coleman that he knew his account was not what really happened.
“We think you made a mistake that morning,” the detective said. “We know you did something wrong that you can’t take it back. Tell us what happened. It’s time.”
Coleman said that he was drunk that morning.
“I don’t remember,” he said. “I blacked out. Nothing is coming clear. We were fighting. I hurt her so bad.”
As Coleman sobbed harder, Mitchell offered to take him outside for a cigarette break so he could compose himself.
“When you’re ready, take it right from the beginning,” Pickering told Coleman.
“I did it,” Coleman replied, sobbing. “I did it. I don’t want to say that word but … I did it. I killed my girl.”
“When you say you killed girl, who did you kill?’ Mitchell asked.
“Chrissie and the kids,” Coleman said.
While the interview continued for a few more minutes, the jury heard nothing after Coleman’s statement: “Chrissie and the kids.” Before the trial began, Superior Court Justice Ann Murray ruled that jurors could hear no more of the interview because Coleman asked to stop talking and said he wanted to leave but the detectives continued to question him. Murray found that the continued questioning violated Coleman’s rights.
The state rested after the interview was played.
The defense called several employees at the Ridgeview Community School in Dexter, where Duwayne and Destiny were students. All testified that the children seemed well adjusted and happy.
The trial, which began Oct. 26 before a jury of 10 men and six women, including four alternates, is scheduled to resume Monday with a DNA expert taking the stand for the defense.
Jurors are expected to begin deliberating Wednesday or Thursday.
If convicted, Coleman faces between 25 years and life in prison on the murder charges and up to 30 years in prison on the sexual assault charge. 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.