NEWS: Millionaire father plotted the death of his own family to be with his mistress

The Coleman family

The Coleman family had been receiving threatening emails and letters for months, leaving them terrified and on edge.

One even said, ‘Your family is done. I will kill them all as they sleep.’

Dad Christopher was head of security for a high-profile US TV evangelist and the messages said he needed to leave his job with the preacher, or his wife and children would be harmed.

The police stepped up their protection of wife Sheri, 31, and sons Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9, but within months, they were all found dead in their beds.

The death threats had become a reality and when the killer was unveiled – it was someone no one could ever have predicted.

Chris, 34, was head of security for the wealthy Joyce Meyer, a job that made him £65k a year and saw him travelling all over the country.

He’d been the son of a minister and had worked his way up the ranks after leaving the marines.

Joyce is reported to be worth a fortune, owning a £7million private jet and a £1million home.

It was a world that Chris was addicted to – he was financially comfortable and it gave him freedom that he took advantage of.

Chris and Sheri were married for 12 years

At his home in Waterloo, Illinois, stunning Sheri was the perfect wife and mother.

Children Gavin and Garett were polite and well-mannered, and Chris would kick a ball with them outside before tucking them into bed with prayers.

But his job enabled him to live a secret life. Since 2008, he’d been having an affair with a cocktail waitress, Tara Lintz, who he’d met because she was a childhood friend of Sheri.

Chris would arrange to meet Tara while he was away and he seemed utterly besotted. He gave her a promise ring, sent endless texts and talked about marriage.

But divorce was unthinkable in Chris’s world. His boss Joyce had made a recorded statement saying that employees would be demoted or fired if they divorced.

Then, out of the blue, Joyce and Chris both received an intimidating email saying Chris had to give up working for Joyce’s company – which has been criticised for the lavish lifestyle of its members.

When more threats came, police stepped up patrols around the Colemans’ home, but by 2009, letters turned up on their doorstep.

"Time is running out for you and your family…"

It looked like someone was trying to get to Joyce – but no one else was receiving these threats but Chris.

Monroe County Circuit CourtChristopher with his lover Tara 

In the meantime, Tara had given Chris an ultimatum. She wanted him to leave Sheri by May 4 so they could get married.

When the deadline arrived, she called Chris. He told her the divorce papers were ready and he’d hand them over to his wife the very next day.

Early on May 5, 2009, Chris had been to the gym when he phoned his neighbour, a police detective who knew about the threats.

The officer even had a camera in his driveway set up to watch their home.

Chris said he couldn’t get hold of his family and they were usually awake by now. So the detective called the station and with other officers, he went round to check.

When no one answered the door, they entered through a window and found red spray paint writing on the walls. "U have paid," one read. Another said, "Punished," followed by "I am watching."

www.mirror.co.uk