Cynthia Lynn Coffman
Cynthia Lynn Coffman was an American murderer whose violent partnership with James Gregory Marlow produced a brief but exceptionally serious crime spree in 1986. Coffman and Marlow traveled through several states, committed robberies and other crimes, and ultimately became responsible for the kidnappings and murders of young women in Southern California. Coffman was convicted of two murders, those of Corinna Novis and Lynell Murray, while evidence presented in court also connected her to an earlier murder-for-hire in Kentucky.
Although some accounts credit Coffman and Marlow with four or even five victims, the record is more complicated. Two murders resulted in Coffman's convictions. The Kentucky killing of Gregory Hill was described in court proceedings as a murder in which Coffman participated, although she was not ultimately tried and convicted for Hill's death in Kentucky. Pamela Simmons has also been listed as a possible victim, but her Arizona homicide remained an unsolved case and the available evidence does not establish that Coffman and Marlow killed her. Sandra Ann Neary is frequently included on online victim lists as well, but contemporary police reporting is inconsistent with that attribution: investigators initially considered a possible connection but later arrested another man for Neary's murder.
Early Life and Relationship With James Marlow
Coffman was born on January 19, 1962, in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from high school and became a mother in 1980. She married the father of her son but separated from him in 1982. In 1984, Coffman left Missouri for Arizona, eventually living in Page, Arizona, and later in Barstow, California. She worked at various times as a bartender and waitress and acknowledged involvement with methamphetamine.
Coffman met James Gregory Marlow in California during 1986. Marlow had an extensive criminal history and had spent time in prison, where he acquired the nickname "Folsom Wolf." Within a relatively short period, Coffman abandoned her previous relationship and began traveling with Marlow. Their lives became increasingly centered around methamphetamine, theft, burglary and violence.
Coffman's later defense focused heavily on Marlow's treatment of her. She testified that he subjected her to severe physical violence and threats, including threats against her son and family. She described being beaten, tied up and controlled by Marlow. On one occasion, she said, Marlow cut off her hair during a violent episode. Her attorneys presented expert testimony concerning battered woman syndrome and argued that fear and psychological domination influenced her participation in the crimes.
Prosecutors did not dispute that Marlow had abused Coffman, but they rejected the claim that abuse excused her conduct. Evidence presented at trial portrayed Coffman as an active participant in selecting victims, restraining them, using their property and helping Marlow before and after the killings. Jurors ultimately rejected the defense as a basis for avoiding criminal responsibility.
The Gregory Hill Murder-for-Hire
Before the California murders, Coffman and Marlow traveled to Kentucky. According to testimony and evidence later presented in California court proceedings, they became involved in a plan to murder 28-year-old Gregory Hill for money.
On or about July 7, 1986, in Whitley County, Kentucky, Coffman helped lure Hill from his residence by pretending to need assistance with a vehicle. Hill approached the truck where Coffman was waiting and looked beneath its hood. Marlow, who had been hiding nearby, then appeared. Hill was subsequently shot in the head. His body was found on Upper Mulberry Cemetery Road, approximately one-tenth of a mile from his residence.
Marlow later admitted that more than $5,000 had been paid for Hill's killing. Coffman testified that she knew the purpose of the trip to Kentucky involved a contract killing and acknowledged participating in the plan by luring Hill toward the waiting vehicle, although she maintained that Marlow fired the fatal shot. Both Coffman and Marlow were eventually indicted in Kentucky in connection with Hill's death, but the California prosecutions and death sentences took precedence.
The Abduction of Corinna Novis
The crime that resulted in Coffman's death sentence began on November 7, 1986. Corinna Novis, a 20-year-old Redlands woman who worked at a State Farm Insurance office, left work that Friday afternoon and cashed a check at a bank near the Redlands Mall. She was driving a recently purchased white Honda CRX. Novis had plans for a manicure and later intended to meet friends, but she never arrived.
Coffman and Marlow were at the Redlands Mall looking for someone to rob. According to Coffman's own testimony, when they noticed Novis and her car, Marlow decided she would be their target. Coffman approached Novis and asked whether she would give the couple a ride to the University of Redlands. Novis agreed.
Once inside the small Honda, Marlow produced a gun. Novis was forced to surrender control of her vehicle and was handcuffed. Coffman then drove while Novis was restrained. The couple transported her to the Fontana-area home of one of Marlow's acquaintances.
Inside the residence, Novis was held prisoner while Coffman and Marlow attempted to obtain her bank personal identification number. Witnesses saw Novis handcuffed and later observed duct tape covering her mouth. Evidence established that she was sexually assaulted while being held captive.
Coffman, Marlow and Novis eventually left the residence. Novis remained restrained and was concealed in the vehicle. They drove into a vineyard near Fontana. Marlow took Novis into the vineyard with a shovel. Coffman later claimed she remained away from the actual killing and heard digging before Marlow returned alone.
Novis was killed on November 7, 1986. Her injuries were consistent with ligature strangulation, although the pathologist also considered suffocation because soil was found in her mouth. Her body was buried in a shallow grave in the vineyard and remained there until November 15.
The killing did not end the exploitation of Novis. Coffman and Marlow went to her apartment, stole property and attempted to gain access to her money. A typewriter taken from Novis's apartment was pawned the following day, with Coffman using Novis's identification. Other stolen property was traded or sold, including an answering machine exchanged in connection with obtaining methamphetamine.
The Murder of Lynell Murray
Five days after Novis was killed, Coffman and Marlow targeted another young woman. Lynell Murray, 19, was a college student who worked at Prime Cleaners in Huntington Beach, California. On November 12, 1986, Murray was working alone as the business approached closing time.
Witnesses placed Coffman in the shopping center shortly before Murray disappeared. Coffman and Marlow entered Prime Cleaners, and Murray was abducted. When Murray's boyfriend arrived at approximately 7:00 p.m., the store had been ransacked and Murray was gone, although her own vehicle remained behind.
At 7:13 p.m., Coffman checked into room 307 at the Huntington Beach Inn. She registered using Lynell Murray's name and paid with Murray's credit card. Later that evening, money was withdrawn from Murray's bank account at an ATM in Corona del Mar.
Murray was sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled during the attack. Her body was left in the motel bathroom. On November 13, a motel employee entered room 307 and discovered Murray's body. She had suffered ligature strangulation as well as injuries inflicted before her death. Her head and face had been bound with strips of towels, she had been gagged, and evidence indicated that she had been restrained.
Coffman and Marlow continued using Murray's property after the murder. Coffman used Murray's credit card at another hotel, and the couple ate at a restaurant later that night using the stolen card. They subsequently traveled to the Big Bear area and again attempted to make purchases with Murray's credit card.
Arrest
The continued use of Murray's credit card helped police locate the pair. On November 14, 1986, authorities arrested Coffman and Marlow while they were walking near Big Bear in San Bernardino County.
The evidence recovered after their arrests was extensive. Coffman's purse contained Murray's identification and wallet, credit-card receipts bearing Murray's forged signature, a loaded .22-caliber revolver and an earring matching the one remaining on Murray's body. Property stolen from Prime Cleaners and restraints associated with the crimes were also recovered.
Police found Corinna Novis's abandoned Honda near the Big Bear area. Investigators recovered Coffman's fingerprints from several areas of the vehicle despite evidence that an effort had been made to wipe fingerprints away. Novis's property was also connected to Coffman, including an earring found among Coffman's belongings.
Confirmed Victims
- Corinna D. Novis, 20 — November 7, 1986 — Redlands/Fontana, California: Novis was abducted after Coffman approached her at the Redlands Mall and asked for a ride. She was held captive, robbed and sexually assaulted before being taken to a vineyard near Fontana and killed. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave on November 15. Coffman and Marlow were both convicted of her murder.
- Lynell Murray, 19 — November 12, 1986 — Huntington Beach, California: Murray was abducted from Prime Cleaners, where she was working alone. She was taken to the Huntington Beach Inn, assaulted, beaten and strangled. Her body was discovered in the motel bathroom on November 13. Coffman was separately convicted of Murray's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Additional Killing Strongly Tied to Coffman and Marlow
- Gregory Hill, 28 — on or about July 7, 1986 — Whitley County, Kentucky: Hill was killed in a murder-for-hire scheme. Coffman acknowledged helping lure him from his residence by pretending to have automobile trouble. Marlow admitted that money was paid for the killing. Hill died from a gunshot wound to the head. Coffman and Marlow were indicted in Kentucky, although Coffman was not convicted there before the California cases took precedence.
Cases Sometimes Attributed to Coffman
- Pamela Simmons, 35 — body found October 28, 1986 — near Bullhead City, Arizona: Simmons's body was found dumped near Highway 68 outside Bullhead City. Her death was a homicide, and Coffman and Marlow have been named as suspects in a number of secondary accounts. However, the Simmons homicide remained listed among Bullhead City's unsolved cases, and the available public record does not establish Coffman and Marlow as her killers. She should therefore be regarded as a possible or suspected victim rather than a confirmed victim.
- Sandra Ann Neary, 32 — disappeared October 11, 1986; body found October 24, 1986 — Costa Mesa/Riverside County, California: Neary disappeared after leaving her Costa Mesa home and was later found strangled near Corona. Because her murder occurred shortly before the Novis and Murray killings, investigators initially examined Coffman and Marlow as possible suspects. Police publicly stated at the time that they had been unable to link the couple to Neary's death. In November 1987, Costa Mesa police arrested Patrick Michael Pearse, a man who knew the Neary family, on suspicion of robbing and murdering her. Because of that history, Neary should not be presented as a confirmed Coffman victim despite her frequent appearance on serial-killer victim lists.
The Corinna Novis Trial and Death Sentence
Coffman and Marlow were prosecuted together in San Bernardino County for the crimes against Corinna Novis. The jury convicted both defendants of murder, kidnapping, kidnapping for robbery, robbery, residential burglary and forcible sodomy. Jurors also found special circumstances associated with the murder, making the defendants eligible for the death penalty.
The prosecution portrayed Coffman not simply as a frightened companion but as an active participant who helped identify and approach the victim, drove the victim while she was restrained, participated in the robbery and later used or disposed of stolen property. The prosecution also introduced evidence concerning Lynell Murray's murder during the penalty phase.
Coffman's attorneys argued that her relationship with Marlow had become violently abusive and that she acted because she feared him. A psychologist specializing in battered woman syndrome testified in her defense. Coffman herself described repeated beatings and threats against both her and her family.
The jury nevertheless recommended death. On August 31, 1989, Coffman was formally sentenced to death for the murder of Corinna Novis. She became the first woman sentenced to death in California after the state reinstated capital punishment in 1977. Marlow also received a death sentence.
The Lynell Murray Trial
Coffman's prosecution for Lynell Murray's murder occurred separately in Orange County. The evidence against her included eyewitness testimony placing her near Murray's workplace, her registration at the Huntington Beach Inn under Murray's name, her possession and use of Murray's financial cards and identification, and property recovered after the arrests.
Coffman was convicted of Murray's murder with special circumstances. Rather than receiving a second death sentence, she was sentenced on September 25, 1992, to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for Murray's murder. That judgment was later affirmed on appeal.
Appeals and Legacy
Coffman's death judgment arising from the Corinna Novis case went through California's lengthy automatic appellate process. In 2004, the California Supreme Court affirmed the judgment, rejecting numerous challenges to the convictions and death sentence.
The Coffman-Marlow case is notable because the crimes combined predatory robbery, kidnapping, sexual violence and murder with a highly destructive relationship between the two offenders. Coffman's case also became part of broader legal and psychological debate over battered woman syndrome and the extent to which severe domestic abuse may influence a defendant who participates in crimes committed by an abusive partner.
The courts ultimately concluded that whatever abuse Coffman suffered, the evidence demonstrated substantial and knowing participation in the crimes. Her approach to Corinna Novis helped place the victim under Marlow's control; she drove the captive Novis, used the murdered woman's identification and property, and remained with Marlow as the pair searched for another victim. Five days later, Lynell Murray was kidnapped and murdered, and Coffman again participated in the events surrounding the crime and used Murray's identity and financial accounts afterward.
For that reason, Cynthia Lynn Coffman's criminal history is most accurately described as involving two confirmed murder convictions, a documented role in the Gregory Hill murder-for-hire, and additional homicides that have sometimes been attributed to the couple without sufficient evidence to classify them as confirmed victims.
