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Special Feature Testing Death Row Inmates Testing Death Row Inmates The Roger Keith Coleman Case A. Wyatt Omohundro Imagine this scenario: You’ve finished in every situation, in every case. You never a long day at work, perhaps already running a know how much scrutiny your polygraph polygraph and completed all the paperwork testing will undergo. accompanying it as well as many other duties. You’ve just arrived home from work and are This was the situation surrounding the getting ready to eat dinner with your family. Virginia criminal case of Roger Keith Coleman The phone rings, which isn’t all that unusual in 1992 and the focus of this article. Coleman given your profession. However, the caller had been convicted and sentenced to death for (the Superintendent of your entire police the 1981 rape and murder of his 19-year old department) makes a most unusual request, sister-in-law. He was scheduled for execution starting a situation that is going to follow you on May 20, 1992, eleven years after the crime and your department for the next decade: on was committed. As his execution date drew the day that he is to be executed, run a death near, attorneys for both sides agreed that row inmate on polygraph to determine his Coleman could take a polygraph conducted by truthfulness. the Virginia State Police. On May 19, the day before the scheduled execution, the Governor As a polygraph examiner, how do you of Virginia, L. Douglas Wilder, made a request handle this request? of the Superintendent of the Virginia State Police, Colonel W. F. Corvello that they In the criminal justice field, police conduct a polygraph examination on Coleman officers, prosecutors, judges, sheriffs, police the next day -- the day of his execution. I was chiefs and, at times, even governors request the polygraph examiner who received the polygraph examinations be conducted in phone call that evening at my home after a cases that are not best suited for polygraph. long day’s work. I had no idea at that time So often, these individuals are not trained in that this one phone call would be the polygraph, and so often they do not beginning of my involvement in a case that understand the highly technical aspects of would linger for over ten years. what is required for a professional, successful polygraph examination. Admittedly, they are To my knowledge, there had never usually under professional or political been another polygraph test conducted in a pressures regarding the case at hand, but at situation like this. And after 31 years with the same time, their requests tend to cause the Virginia State Police and 18 years as a undue stress on the polygraph examiners. It polygraph examiner, I had never conducted a is difficult for an examiner to tell the agency polygraph under those circumstances. I was head or, worse, the governor, that this summoned that evening to the particular case is not ideal for a polygraph Superintendent’s office at the VSP test; it is even more difficult when a higher-up Administrative Headquarters in Chesterfield places inappropriate parameters on the County, Virginia. testing itself. People who are unfamiliar with the workings of polygraph will inevitably ask He instructed me to take my polygraph for inappropriate questions to be asked at the “machine” and travel to Greenville wrong time in the worst manner; saying “no” Correctional Center the following morning, to them is difficult. But in order for the May 20, 1992 and administer a polygraph test polygraph to maintain its integrity and the on Coleman. He also stated that the Governor examiners their credibility, it is imperative had faxed a list of eleven questions he wanted that the standards set forth for professional me to ask Coleman on my machine. Now, as and appropriate examinations be maintained all polygraph examiners know, we do not work Polygraph, 2010, 39(3) 188 Omohundro on “machines”; we work on “instruments.” Roger Keith Coleman’s death penalty And we all know that in order to conduct a case had already stretched on for over ten professional polygraph examination, we years. It started on the night of March 10, should conduct this examination like we 1981 in Grundy, VA. Nineteen year old conduct all other polygraph examinations and Wanda Fay McCoy was raped and murdered not vary from our normal procedures. Since in her home. Her husband, Brad McCoy, the Superintendent was not a polygraph returned home from working in the coal mines examiner and was obviously under pressure and found his wife lying on the floor in a pool from a higher entity, I diplomatically explained of blood. Her sweater was hiked up around to him that it absolutely was not a good idea her neck and her underpants were shoved to administer a polygraph examination on a down around her left foot. She had been death row inmate on the same day he was stabbed twice in her chest and slashed across scheduled to be executed and also in the same her neck with such force that the gash, four area of the building as the electric chair was inches wide and about two inches deep almost located. I requested Coleman be transported cut her spinal cord. to the Virginia State Police First Division Headquarters the following morning, and I Her husband, Brad, described his wife would conduct this examination in the Wanda as being shy and reclusive, and who manner I conduct all other polygraph had been jittery since receiving a series of examinations. The Superintendent agreed, obscene phone calls the year before. She kept and I went home. I spent the rest of the night all doors and windows locked. There was no planning for the test the next day. indication of forced entry at the time. She would only open her door to three men in the However, during my meeting with the town of Grundy. The police questioned all Superintendent, I did not attempt to explain three men and quickly determined that the problem I anticipated having with Wanda’s brother-in-law, Roger Keith Coleman, Coleman’s “psychological set.” I did not know was the suspect. Coleman had served time in at that time if I could keep Coleman’s prison from 1977 to 1979, two years prior to attention on the case at hand or whether or this crime, for attempted rape and he was not he would be thinking about the planned lacking a convincing alibi for this particular execution he was scheduled for that same evening. day. My plan was to go step-by-step during the test and attempt to determine whether or A month later, Roger Coleman was not his “psychological set” was in fact on the arrested and charged with the murder and case being tested. rape of Wanda McCoy. A year later there was a four day trial; after three hours of I was also concerned Coleman may deliberations, Coleman was found guilty of have been coached by his attorneys to rape and murder and sentenced to death. disregard my instructions, or to talk, move, or cough in order to cause the results to be Eleven years after this murder and on inconclusive. If this occurred, I planned to the eve of his execution, why did the governor give Coleman two warnings about following of Virginia request that a polygraph my instructions; if he failed to follow my examination be conducted in this criminal instructions a third time, I would terminate case? the test and have him returned to Greenville Correctional Center. My determination of the From 1981, when Coleman was polygraph examination would be “Test convicted of this crime, to 1992, every day, Terminated” due to lack of cooperation; I every moment Coleman was awake, he would not allow the test to continue under steadfastly maintained his innocence. He and those circumstances. I was not going to have his legal team launched a public relations an “inconclusive” result simply due to him blitz to convey his story. He convinced people being uncooperative. in Virginia, the United States, and around the world that he was innocent of this crime. The * * * Governor’s office was swamped with over 13,000 calls from people around the world, pressuring him not to execute Coleman for 189 Polygraph, 2010, 39(3) Testing Death Row Inmates this crime. Hollywood celebrities weighed in. a lifetime in law enforcement, I am not one to Time had Coleman’s picture on its cover in be easily convinced. 1992. Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul pleaded for his life. In the last few days of his The Governor’s Office had requested life, Coleman was interviewed on television by via the Superintendent that I ask Coleman Bryant Gumbel, Larry King, and Phil eleven specific questions during the Donohue. polygraph. Unfortunately, these questions did not meet the standard protocol that polygraph On May 20, 1992, Coleman was examiners are trained to follow. The eleven transported to the Virginia State Police questions that the Governor’s Office wanted Headquarters in Richmond for the polygraph me to ask were: examination, arriving one hour earlier than scheduled. I met with Coleman, and told him 1. Do you know a Duncan E. Chester who I would be the examiner and that I would start you went to high school with? the examination as soon as I could. I pointed 2. Did you go bowling about a week before out to him he was an hour early. I asked Wanda Faye McCoy was murdered with Coleman if I could do anything for him or if he Duncan Chester, George Lester, Stanley had any request; he asked if I would call his Stacy and your wife, Patricia? attorney in Washington, DC to see if she was 3.
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