A man convicted in a fatal Sterling apartment fire is appealing

WHITESIDE Co., Ill. (KWQC) – The man sentenced to life in prison for setting fire to an apartment building in Sterling has asked for an appeal to reconsider the sentence, court documents show.

Steve W. Coleman, 45, was sentenced Oct. 17 to life plus 105 years.

According to court documents, Coleman requested a reconsideration of the sentence for the following reasons:

• The Court did not take into account all possible factors.
• The Court has not given sufficient weight to the factors that could lead to mitigation.
• The penalty(s) imposed was/are excessive in light of the spirit and purpose of the law.

Prosecutors argued at trial that Coleman set a fire at the Western Apartments in Sterling on June 1, 2020, after a drug deal went wrong. Celina Serrano, 13, Shyla Walker, 8, and Carrie A. Hose, 49, died in the fire.

In July, a Whiteside County jury found Coleman guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated arson and one count of domestic fire.

A hearing for the appeal is scheduled for Nov. 18, according to court documents.

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