A settlement has been reached in the wrongful death suit filed against Matthew Coleman for the 2013 shooting death of his wife, Sandra Coleman. The case was resolved through mediation and the civil suit has been dropped as part of the agreement, according to documents filed at the Clay County Clerk of Court’s office.
The suit had been initiated by Matthew Coleman’s step-daughter, Quendolyn “Wendy” Spalding, the sole heir and daughter of Sandra Colemen who was 65 at the time of her death.
In April 2013, Coleman shot his wife with a .38 caliber revolver, killing her at the couple’s home in Hayesville. In court he claimed he did not remember anything after checking his blood sugar and taking insulin, according to earlier reports in the Progress. The settlement has no bearing on his prison sentence.
In December 2015, Coleman, 74, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to six to eight years and is serving time in the North Carolina Department of Corrections in Salisbury, N.C. where the mediation took place. Coleman will be at least 80 years old when he is released.
