Roger Keith Coleman - The Case

The Case

Coleman was convicted of raping and murdering McCoy in 1982.

The prosecution for the case, led by Commonwealth Attorney Michael McGlothlin, asserted:

• The lack of forced entry showed McCoy knew her attacker
• Coleman had been previously convicted of attempted rape
• A hair found on McCoy's body was similar to Coleman's
• Blood found on Coleman's clothes was McCoy's blood type
• A fellow prisoner maintained that Coleman had privately confessed the crime to him

Coleman's defense maintained:

• There was indeed evidence of forced entry (the pry mark on the door)
• DNA tests of the semen found on the victim's body implicated more than one person
• The prosecution claimed there was no struggle, but the victim had cuts, a bruise in her arm, and broken fingernails
• Coleman had a documented alibi and several witnesses who gave affidavits