Charles Troy Coleman, born on March 15, 1947, in Muskogee early life was marked by minor criminal activities, including a burglary charge at age 15.
His criminal record expanded over the years, with at least 15 arrests across five states for charges like grand theft and robbery.
His first significant suspected crime occurred on August 24, 1975, when he was accused of beating Will Stidham (44) to death with a tire iron in Bakersfield, California, and stealing his wallet.
Despite fingerprints on Stidham's pickup truck and a motive linked to his relationship with Stidham's daughter, Shirley, Coleman was acquitted in July 1976 after witnesses recanted, possibly influenced by his charisma.
Coleman's criminal activities escalated in 1979, marking a violent spree that would define his legacy. On February 9, 1979, he and an accomplice broke into a home in rural Muskogee County, Oklahoma, intending to rob it.
The homeowners, John Seward (68) and Roxie Seward (62), returned unexpectedly, interrupting the burglary. Coleman shot John with a single .28 gauge shotgun blast to the back of the head and Roxie with four close-range shots, killing both. Items stolen included watches, wallets, and frozen meat.
This crime, occurring just after his California parole travel permit expired, was a pivotal moment.
While awaiting trial, Coleman escaped from Muskogee County jail on April 23, 1979, and committed further crimes. On April 25, 1979, he carjacked and fatally shot Russell E. Lewis Jr. in Tulsa using a revolver stolen from Officer Tom Dayton whose throat he had slit during an earlier encounter.
Lewis's body was found two days later in a Tulsa city park, bullet-riddled, marking Coleman's second confirmed murder in 1979. During his escape, he also kidnapped Pima County deputy Terry Parish in Tucson, Arizona, on April 28, 1979, but did not kill him, leading to his recapture.
Coleman's arrest in 1979 led to a high-profile trial for the Seward murder. In October 1979, he was convicted of first-degree murder for killing John Seward and sentenced to death.
He was not tried for Roxie Seward's murder due to the existing death sentence. Separately, he was convicted and sentenced to death for the Lewis murder, but this conviction was overturned in 1983 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, citing improper juror exclusion regarding death penalty reservations.
In 1984, a district court judge dismissed the Lewis murder charge for lack of diligent prosecution, with the Tulsa County district attorney's office intending to refile, though it was never pursued.
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Throughout the 1980s, Coleman's legal team filed multiple appeals, including seven to the U.S. Supreme Court, all of which were exhausted by 1990. His case highlighted issues with jury selection and the application of aggravating circumstances.
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On September 10, 1990, Charles Troy Coleman was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, becoming the first Oklahoma inmate executed in 24 years and the first by lethal injection in the state.
His last words were, "Just tell everybody I love them. I have a peace and quiet heart,".
He was 43 years old, having spent nearly 11 years on death row.
