Background: The 200 block of Meeks Road in Henry County, Virginia (Google Maps). Inset left: Mandy Michelle Coleman (Bassett Funeral Service). Inset right: Joshua Corbett Coleman (Henry County Sheriff’s Office).
A husband has been accused of killing his wife and then fatally shooting a man who came to check on her condition—before fleeing the scene with his two children and two firearms.
Just past 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia received a call about a shooting incident in front of a residence located on the 200 block of Meeks Road. Upon the deputies’ arrival, they discovered a deceased man with multiple gunshot wounds, later identified as 68-year-old William Leroy Morey, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
Law enforcement entered the home and found a woman dead from an “apparent single gunshot wound.” She was identified as 22-year-old Mandy Michelle Coleman. Investigators learned that Morey had traveled to the home on Meeks Road to “check on the well-being” of Coleman.
The investigation quickly found a suspect: Coleman’s husband, Joshua Corbett Coleman, 30, but he was not at the home.
Deputies also “became concerned” upon learning that two small children were believed to live at the Meeks Road home with their mother. They, too, were not around when law enforcement arrived.
“An immediate, coordinated effort was launched to locate the children and the suspect,” the Henry County Sheriff’s Office said – adding that four other agencies, including the Virginia State Police, were involved.
At roughly 2:40 p.m., less than two hours after deputies had initially been called, an officer “conducted a traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle” and found Joshua Corbett Coleman “armed with a handgun and an AR-15 rifle.”
The two children, about 10 months and 2 years old, were “inside the vehicle, safe and unharmed,” authorities said, and the suspect was arrested “without incident.” He was subsequently placed in the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond.
After being arrested, Joshua Corbett Coleman admitted to killing his wife and Morey, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Roanoke CBS-affiliate WDBJ. The couple had gotten into an argument during which he accused her of cheating, and he reportedly said he retrieved a gun and shot her in the head.
The suspect is said to have then placed his children in his vehicle and driven to find Morey because “he knew he was going to jail, so he wanted to kill Morey as well.” When Joshua Corbett Coleman couldn’t locate Morey at the older man’s home, he returned to his own home to find him there – and allegedly shot and killed him.
Morey was not related to either of the Colemans, Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis told WDBJ. It is unclear what his relationship was with either the suspect or the other victim.
“This is a heartbreaking and tragic situation that has deeply affected two families and our entire community,” Davis said. “Our hearts go out to the loved ones of the victims during this incredibly difficult time.”
He added: “By the grace of God, I think our community has witnessed a miracle in recovering those children safely. So we’re so pleased about that.”
According to the outlet, it was a neighbor who called 911 upon seeing two vehicles pull up to the Meeks Road property and shortly after hearing gunshots fired.
Joshua Corbett Coleman faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, one count of shooting from an occupied vehicle, and, according to the sheriff’s office, two counts of child abuse and neglect.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday morning.
Henry County is located in southern Virginia on the border of North Carolina.
