May 29, 2018 ▸ People, True Crime

Episode 301: Alton Coleman and Debra Brown: Natural Born Killers

On this Episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we spit some true crime at you and look at a most unique serial killer situation—that of Alton Coleman and Debra Brown. They are unique not only because they are a couple, but because they buck the typical mold of white middle class serial killers; they are both African-American. Alton Coleman grew up in a bad household to a prostitute mother. At a young age, he started vandalism and arson, and those who knew him saw a dark sexual side come out. Later in life, he was arrested several times for rape and sexual assault, but his strange smooth talking Jedi mind trick always got him out of court.

Coleman met his accomplice Debra Brown when she was engaged to another man. Brown had suffered brain damage due to head trauma at a young age, and she fell in line with what has been described as a Master-Slave relationship with Coleman. So, Coleman and Brown teamed up to go on a wicked killing spree through several states. (I can’t help but think they were a large part of the inspiration for Natural Born Killers…)

One by one, they stole cars, assaulted people, raped, and murdered. They weren’t the typical meticulous killers who were trying to make sure they didn’t get caught. Indeed, they left a lot of witnesses alive but gagged and bound. Their victims were primarily black (they, it seems, were blacks who hated other blacks according to FBI profilers) and young. How many did they kill? Why did they let the reverend who found them out survive? Why didn’t they kill all their victims? Why did Alton earn the nickname “Pissy” as a child? Listen, laugh, learn.