California Man Murdered His Children Due To Belief In QAnon, Feds Allege
Topline
A Southern California man was charged Wednesday with murdering his two children in Mexico, an act federal authorities say he justified by citing QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories and claiming his kids inherited serpent DNA from their mother.
David Reinert holds up a large “Q” sign while waiting in line to see former President Donald Trump … [+]
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Key Facts
Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara was detained Monday and later charged with foreign murder of a U.S. national, after his 10-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son’s bodies were found in the Mexican beach town of Rosarito, according to an FBI affidavit.
Coleman drove his children to Rosarito — which is south of the border city of Tijuana — in the family’s van over the weekend, but did not tell his wife where they were headed, prompting her to file a missing persons report, according to the FBI.
The FBI says Coleman confessed to killing his children with a spear fishing gun during a Monday interview at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing: He told an FBI agent he believes in the QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories, and thinks his children would have grown up to become monsters because they inherited serpent DNA from his wife.
Coleman made an initial appearance in Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday, where a judge ordered him held without bond, according to a spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Central California.
A public defender representing Coleman did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes, and multiple attempts to reach the Santa Barbara surfing school Coleman and his wife reportedly own were unsuccessful.
Tangent
Coleman’s claims about serpent DNA may have been tied to the bizarre and false “reptilian” conspiracy theory, which contends that powerful people worldwide are actually human-lizard hybrids.
Key Background
Law enforcement officials have raised alarm that QAnon — a false conspiracy theory claiming the government is controlled by a secret cabal of satanic pedophiles — could inspire real-life violence after festering on the internet for years. Alleged QAnon adherents have been charged with murder, terrorism and conspiracy to kidnap in recent years. And in June, the FBI reportedly warned believers may commit violence if their wild predictions — namely, that former President Donald Trump is preparing mass arrests — continue to fall flat.
Further Reading
US intel report warns of more violence by QAnon followers (Associated Press)
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