Phillip Coleman

Serial Killer

Phillip J. "Slim" Coleman Jr.: Montana Killer and Self-Confessed Serial Killer

Phillip J. "Slim" Coleman Jr. was an American murderer whose brief but violent crime spree in Montana ended with his execution in 1943. Coleman was convicted for the killings connected to a robbery at Lothrop, Montana, and he was also linked by confession to the fatal attack on an elderly man in Helena. In the weeks before his execution, Coleman made an extraordinary series of additional claims, telling authorities that he had killed numerous people in several states and Canada. He ultimately claimed responsibility for as many as 23 murders. Most of those additional confessions, however, were never independently verified, making Coleman more accurately described as a convicted multiple murderer and self-confessed serial killer rather than a man proven to have committed all of the killings he claimed.

Early Life and Criminal Background

Phillip J. Coleman Jr. was born on April 24, 1919, in St. Louis, Missouri. By adulthood he had adopted a transient lifestyle, traveling through different parts of the country and finding temporary work when available. He accumulated a criminal history before arriving in Montana, including offenses involving burglary and property crime. His years of wandering later complicated investigators' attempts to determine whether his claims of murders in several states were genuine. Coleman was only 24 years old during the Montana murders that brought him to national attention. He was commonly known by the nickname "Slim." His crimes were frequently associated with robbery, and the confirmed Montana cases demonstrated his willingness to use lethal violence for surprisingly small amounts of money.

The Fatal Attack on Andrew J. Walton

One of the killings later attributed to Coleman occurred in Helena, Montana, in July 1943. Andrew J. Walton was an elderly man whom Coleman knew. On July 3, Coleman attacked Walton with a hatchet during what was apparently a robbery. Coleman later claimed that the attack netted him only a few cents. Walton was not immediately found dead. Accounts of the case state that he was discovered alive the following morning and taken to a hospital, where he died without regaining consciousness. Surviving secondary accounts are inconsistent about Walton's precise calendar date of death, with some records associating his death with July 3 while narrative accounts make clear that he survived the initial attack. Because of that conflict, the exact death date should be treated cautiously. What is established is that the fatal assault occurred on July 3, 1943, in Helena and that Walton died shortly afterward from the injuries. Coleman's connection to Walton became much stronger after his arrest for the later Lothrop murders. Shortly before his execution, Coleman confessed to attacking Walton and supplied information about the crime. Authorities regarded the confession as credible enough to connect him to the killing. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Andrew J. Walton Age: (81), Date of Death: 1943-07-03

Suspected Victims:

Devil Moore , Date of Death: 1933

3 Unidentified Men

Ventez , Date of Death: 1939

Unidentified victim

Unidentified Black man

Tullie , Date of Death: 1943-05

Unidentified Man

Phillip Coleman (spree killer) - Wikipedia