In a quiet Ridgeway, Virginia community, a tragic series of events unfolded on July 22, 2025, leading to the deaths of William Leroy Morey, a 68-year-old male, and 22-year-old Mandy Coleman. The incident began when authorities received a report of a man lying in the road on Meeks Road and responding deputies discovered Mr. Morey deceased with multiple gunshot wounds.
It was later determined that he had gone to the residence to check on the well-being of Mandy Coleman.
Upon entering the home, deputies made a second grim discovery: the body of Mandy Coleman, who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Early in the investigation, Mandy's husband, Joshua Corbett Coleman, was identified as the suspect. A coordinated search involving multiple law enforcement agencies was launched, as there was concern for the two young children of Joshua and Mandy Coleman who were missing from the home.
A few hours later, a Henry County Sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on Joshua Coleman's vehicle. He was taken into custody without incident and was found to be armed with a handgun and an AR-15 rifle. The two children were found in the vehicle, unharmed. According to a criminal complaint, Coleman later admitted to the killings. He reportedly confessed to shooting his wife after a heated argument where he accused her of infidelity. The complaint further states that Coleman, knowing he was going to jail, then decided to kill Morey. After initially being unable to find him, Coleman returned to his own home to find Morey there and shot him multiple times.
Joshua Corbett Coleman has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, one count of shooting from an occupied vehicle, and two counts of child abuse and neglect. He is being held without bond at the Henry County Adult Detention Center. Authorities have confirmed that William Morey was not related to either Joshua or Mandy Coleman.
