Matthew Taylor Coleman, a California resident and QAnon follower accused of the horrific 2021 murder of his two young children has reportedly made multiple attempts to harm himself while in federal custody. According to court records, Coleman has engaged in self-mutilation, including cutting himself with a razor, diving headfirst into a toilet, punching himself in the face, and repeatedly slamming his head against the floor.
Coleman, who allegedly killed his children, Kaleo, 2, and Roxy, 10 months, using a speargun because he believed they had “serpent DNA,” is now under constant observation. Authorities have begun medicating him against his will, according to the same court documents.
A prison physician has diagnosed the 40-year-old with unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychiatric disorders, as noted in a filing by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. Prosecutors have stated that Coleman is currently unable to understand the charges against him or participate in his own defense. His medication regimen began in May of last year, told the New York Post,
On August 7, 2021, Coleman was preparing for a family trip with his wife, Abby, when he suddenly took the children, without explanation, and left their Santa Barbara home. Coleman drove the children across the border into Mexico, where they stayed at a resort hotel for two days. Then, according to investigators, he drove them to a farm where he used a spearfishing gun to kill them, leaving their bodies behind.
Coleman was arrested as he attempted to re-enter the United States. He has since been charged with two counts of murdering U.S. nationals on foreign soil. He is being held at an undisclosed federal medical facility in Southern California and has pleaded not guilty. His court-appointed attorney has not responded to requests for comment.
At the time of his arrest, Coleman allegedly told federal agents that he killed his children because he believed in the QAnon conspiracy theory that they possessed “serpent DNA” and that killing them was necessary to protect humanity. According to a 30-page search warrant application, Coleman described his belief that he was seeing the world through a lens similar to the movie The Matrix, identifying himself as the main character, Neo.
After Coleman’s arrest, his wife, Abby, returned to her home state of Texas to be with her family. Those who knew Coleman expressed shock and disbelief over the allegations. Deb Fletcher, whose son took surf lessons from Coleman, remarked, “He could be intense, but nothing that would indicate that he was so mentally off. I wonder if he just snapped.”
A family friend who grew up with Coleman echoed this sentiment, adding, “He always seemed normal. I wish we had known that this was coming. It’s really sad.”