Georgia Woman Who Fatally Shot Husband Following Disagreement Over Her Seeing Other Men in Their Open Marriage, Sentenced
Cheryl Coe was convicted on Monday of murder and aggravated assault in the death of 48-year-old Luther "Luke" Coe III in Coweta County. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to a court documents.
Coe Told Cops She Shot Her Husband After Mistaking Him as an Intruder
The Coweta County Sheriff's Office responded around 7:30 p.m. on June 23, 2021, to the Coe residence on Tommy Lee Cook Road in Newnan after Coe called 911 to report she shot her husband when she mistook him for an intruder.
Coe allegedly told cops that prior to the shooting, she had consumed four or five Angry Orchard Hard Cider drinks on the porch as her husband worked in his detached garage. She reportedly said she decided to go to bed around 7:15 p.m. but was awoken roughly 10 minutes later when the bedroom door swung open.
Coe said she thought it was an intruder and opened fire. "I was just trying to protect myself," she reportedly told investigators at the time. She claimed she didn't realize she shot her husband until he reportedly said "Cheryl, you shot me."
When Forensic Evidence Didn't Support Coe's Claim She Changed Her Story to Self-Defense
However, her story fell apart as investigators learned that Luther had suffered a contact bullet wound, indicating that the gun was fired as it was being held to the victim's body, and not from a distance as claimed by Coe.
Coe then claimed she shot her husband in self-defense. She reportedly said he came storming into the room and tried dragging her out of bed. She said he left the room, so she took the opportunity to grab a gun from the nightstand. She said fired one warning shot — which she said made the victim angry — before pulling the trigger a second time.
"I was just trying to hit the wall behind the TV so it would scare him off or make him leave," she reportedly said. "I wasn't trying to hit him." Emergency responders tried to render aid to her husband, who later died at a hospital.
Couple was Fighting Over the Terms of Their Open Marriage
Luther "Luke" Coe III with Cheryl Coe. Facebook
Investigators then discovered simmering issues within the marriage. A series of text messages in the days leading up to the shooting reportedly showed the couple fighting about their open marriage.
Cheryl Coe asked her husband for permission to see another man later that week. He then reportedly asked if she was also planning on seeing a second man that same day to which she responded "lol."
The victim reportedly said her response "turned his stomach." She suggested they end their open marriage because it was causing issues, but he reportedly wanted to keep it going with more ground rules. Luther reportedly became even more upset when he learned that his wife was talking about their issues with a friend.
The defendant reiterated her self-defense claim when she took the stand at her trial. She reportedly told jurors he was "more enraged that he's ever been at me." Asked why she initially told cops the shooting was an accident, she reportedly claimed it was because she did not want to tarnish her husband's reputation.
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