A Georgia jury this week found 55-year-old Cheryl Coe guilty of murder and aggravated assault in the 2021 shooting death of her husband, 48-year-old Luther “Luke” Coe III.
Cheryl was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault on Monday, according to The Newnan Times-Herald. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Why It Matters
Text messages between Cheryl and Luke were shown in court. They appeared to show a disagreement over the terms of their open marriage, according to The Newnan Times-Herald.
Cheryl asked Luke for permission to see another man. Luke asked if she planned to see a second man the same day. Cheryl replied that she could and ended the message with “lol,” which means laughing out loud.
Luke said the response “turned his stomach.” Cheryl then asked if he wanted to end the open marriage, but he disagreed.
What To Know
The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office went to a home on Tommy Lee Cook Road in Newnan on June 23, 2021, after Cheryl called 911 saying she accidentally shot her husband.
Officials found Luke in a bedroom. He was still alive and received first aid, but he was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined that the shooting was not accidental. Cheryl was arrested and charged.
During interviews, Cheryl said she had been drinking four or five hard ciders, took Klonopin, and went to bed around 7:15 p.m., according to The Newnan Times-Herald. She said she woke up when the bedroom door opened.
She said she couldn’t identify who entered the room and reached for her gun, firing two shots. Later, she admitted she knew it was her husband and said he tried to drag her from the bed. Cheryl said she was trying to scare him and didn’t mean to shoot him.
A medical examiner reported that the victim had muzzle compressions around the bullet wound, meaning the barrel of the gun had been pressed into his body.
What People Are Saying
Prosecutor Laura Lukert, in her closing statement: “She is the most unreliable of narrators. The only consistency we have is that that woman shot Luther Coe.”
Defense attorney Thomas Mondelli, in his closing statement: “Fear is not malice. She acted out of fear.”
What Happens Next
Cheryl Coe will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
