Matthew Taylor Coleman is apparently trying to make amends with his family after allegedly killing his two children.
As we reported, the California resident was accused of abruptly putting his two kids — Kaleo, 2, and Roxy, 10 months — into his van on August 7 and driving away from their Santa Barbara home.
Authorities say the 40-year-old drove the kids into Mexico, then brought them to a ranch, where he killed them with a spearfishing gun before returning to his hotel a few hours later. He was arrested while attempting to cross the border back into the United States, and has since been held at an undisclosed federal prison.
Now, a longtime family friend told People that Coleman has somewhat come to his senses during these past few weeks behind bars — at least to the point where he’s begging his family for forgiveness. The source said:
“He has spoken to his family on the phone. It’s sinking in what happened, and he’s devastated. He has begged his family for forgiveness.”
It’s a tough ask; many would consider what Coleman did to be unforgivable.
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Per an FBI criminal complaint, the father told police he was motivated by the QAnon conspiracy theory to carry out the unspeakable deed. The baseless theory falsely claims that Donald Trump has secretly been battling a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who control the world.
This inane theory corroded Coleman’s mind so much, he allegedly thought his children were going to turn into “serpent” people, according to the complaint. FBI special agent Jennifer Bannon wrote that the surf instructor claimed to be “enlightened by QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories and was receiving visions and signs revealing that his wife, A.C., possessed serpent DNA and had passed it on to his children.” Bannon wrote:
“M. Coleman stated that he believed his children were going to grow into monsters so he had to kill them.”
The family source went on to say that, understandably, Coleman’s family aren’t exactly ready to accept his apology — particularly his wife, Abby, who was packing for a family trip on that fateful day when Coleman suddenly snapped and fled the house with their kids.
The insider added:
“I think there’s compassion there, but forgiveness is going to take some time. What he did is just so horrific. It’s going to take a lot of time for everyone to wrap their heads around it.”
Coleman was indicted on murder charges last month, and he’s being held in protective custody. He is eligible for the death penalty, and has not yet entered a plea.
[Image via Lovewater Surf School/Instagram]
The post Surf Instructor Charged With Killing His Children Over QAnon Came To His Senses In Prison & 'Begged Family For Forgiveness' appeared first on Perez Hilton.