Steven Coleman, a 32-year-old African American man, was fatally shot in the head by his girlfriend, Cierra Sutton, while he was sleeping on the night of August 16, 2017, in Baytown, Texas. The couple had gotten into an argument earlier that day, and Sutton later admitted to shooting Coleman. Because his body was too heavy to carry, Sutton dismembered his body with a machete and disposed of the pieces in various dumpsters around her apartment complex.
Sutton initially reported Coleman
missing to the Baytown Police, but investigators became suspicious when Coleman's two vehicles were still parked at the apartment complex. Coleman's credit cards were used at a Harris County Walmart after he went missing, and surveillance footage showed Sutton buying duct tape and a mattress pad with Coleman's card. Sutton was arrested in Louisiana and charged with murder.
In February 2019, Sutton was sentenced to 45 years in prison for Coleman's murder. The Coleman family has since criticized the media and production companies for exploiting Steven's death and painting him in a negative light in various documentaries. They have called for these productions to cease, citing false and emotionally scarring details.
The case has drawn significant attention, with several documentaries and media reports covering the events surrounding Coleman's death. Despite the family's objections, the coverage has continued, leading to ongoing discussions about the ethics of true crime programming.
