A husband is suspected of murdering his wife, then shooting a man who came to check on her, before fleeing the scene with his two children and two firearms.
On Tuesday, about 1 p.m., the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia got a complaint of a man shot in front of a property on the 200 block of Meeks Road. When deputies arrived at the house, they discovered a guy dead of several gunshot wounds. The sheriff’s office later identified him as William Leroy Morey, 68.
When law enforcement entered the home, they discovered a woman deceased from a “apparent single gunshot wound.” Mandy Michelle Coleman, 22, has been recognized. According to investigators, Morey went to Coleman’s residence on Meeks Road to “check on his well-being.”
The inquiry immediately identified a suspect: Coleman’s spouse, Joshua Corbett Coleman, 30, who was not there at the home.
Deputies were also “concerned” after learning that two little children were believed to live at the Meeks Road home with their mother. They, too, were not present when police arrived.
“An immediate, coordinated effort was launched to locate the children and the suspect,” the Henry County Sheriff’s Office stated, citing the involvement of four additional agencies, including the Virginia State Police.
At around 2:40 p.m., less than two hours after the initial report, an officer “conducted a traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle” and discovered Joshua Corbett Coleman “armed with a handgun and an AR-15 rifle.”
The two children, ages 10 months and two years old, were “inside the vehicle, safe and unharmed,” according to investigators, and the suspect was apprehended “without incident.” He was then held in the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond.
Following his arrest, Joshua Corbett Coleman acknowledged to killing his wife and Morey, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Roanoke CBS affiliate WDBJ. The couple had an argument during which he suspected her of infidelity, and he allegedly shot her in the head.
The suspect is claimed to have then loaded his children into his car and went to get Morey because “he knew he was going to jail, so he wanted to kill Morey as well.” When Joshua Corbett Coleman couldn’t find Morey at the elder man’s house, he returned to his own and allegedly shot and killed him.
Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis told WDBJ that Morey was not related to either Coleman. It’s unclear what his relationship was with the suspect or the second victim.
“This is a heartbreaking and tragic situation that has deeply affected two families and our entire community,” Davis told the crowd. “Our hearts go out to the loved ones of the victims during this incredibly difficult time.”
He said, “By the grace of God, I believe our community has experienced a miracle in the safe recovery of those youngsters. So we’re really happy about that.”
According to the site, a neighbor contacted 911 after witnessing two vehicles arrive at the Meeks Road residence and hearing gunshots fired.
Joshua Corbett Coleman faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of using a handgun to commit a felony, one count of firing from an occupied car, and, according to the sheriff’s office, two counts of child abuse and neglect.
He is set to appear in court on Tuesday morning.
Henry County is located in southern Virginia on the border with North Carolina.
