Sartaj Singh
Helmed by director Manu Boyer, ‘Sister Wife Murder’ narrates a shocking tale of a woman falling for a pastor only to discover that he already has two wives. When Chloe (Dia Nash) is attending a new church for the first time, she becomes infatuated with the pastor, Caleb. He returns her looks of desire, and the two begin to share moments of passion in secret. As Chloe falls in love with him, she discovers that he already has two wives, Anna (Ashley Williams) and Margo (Ashley Dulaney), but nevertheless says yes to him when he proposes.
However, her happiness is fleeting as she begins to realize Caleb’s true controlling nature, and her only source of comfort are her sister-wives. When one of them vanishes without a trace, Chloe must recognize the truth before it is too late. The Lifetime thriller spins an unbelievable tale of control, polygamy, and deception that warrants further investigation into its origins.
Sister Wife Murder: A Criminal Case of Polygamy
While ‘Sister Wife Murder’ is not based on one true incident of a pastor being polygamous, but there have been several similar instances in real life. For example, a Houston man, Orlando Coleman, took pastor polygamy to the extreme by posing as a Protestant bishop and marrying ten women over a span of twenty years. Coleman would visit black churches across the country and present the image of a founder of several churches, backing his claims with fraudulent social media accounts of him being a Pentecostal preacher. He used the farce to gain the trust of religious women and lured them into marriage for his own financial gain.
He began the practice in 2001, proposing marriage to interested church-going women, moving into their homes, and allowing them to bear the costs of food and living expenses. Before long, he would move to a new state, and the conned woman would file for divorce. The women were reportedly swept off their feet by his proposals of marriage, as it was something they valued very highly. Coleman continued to travel between Delaware, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina and trick more of his victims until being discovered in 2021.
Coleman Got Caught For Polygamy After 20 Years
Five months after Coleman married a Houston woman, Goussen, she realized that he was receiving payments from a woman in Virginia. Upon contacting her on Facebook, Goussen learned that he had not divorced the Virginia woman and sued him for bigamy. Coleman pled guilty to the charges in 2023 and said that he wasn’t aware of still being married before proposing to Goussen. He further made promises of returning to Kentucky as a pastor and helping clothe and feed the poor. In Texas, bigamy is a felony that can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison; Coleman was given three years of probation.
However, just two months later, he married a Kentucky woman. Upon learning of the development, prosecutors filed for his probation to be revoked. The pretend pastor had violated the conditions of probation on a bigamy charge. He was arrested and taken to Harris County Jail to await sentencing. With his victims demanding that he go to prison for abusing their trust and knowing full well that he would repeat his crimes, Coleman was sentenced to three years in prison in March 2024.
While ‘Sister Wife Murder’ is a fictional movie written by Peter Sullivan, it is not a stretch to think that it is inspired by real-life cases such as Orlando Coleman’s. While Coleman’s case does not involve a conspiracy of murder, when the con artist was finally caught, it was due to marrying a third wife. The film’s believability is further enhanced by the performance of its cast members and well-paced twists and revelations.
Read More: Couples Retreat Murder: Is the Lifetime Movie Based on a True Story?
