Family Believe Surf Instructor Who Killed Children Due To QAnon Conspiracy 'Had A Psychotic Break'

As difficult as it may be to believe, there’s some support out there for the man who allegedly murdered his two children with a spearfishing gun after being taken in by QAnon conspiracy theories.

You may recall our earlier reporting on Matthew Taylor Coleman (pictured with his family, above), a Santa Barbara, California surfing instructor who allegedly slaughtered his kids down in Mexico back in August after worrying his wife had given them “serpent DNA.”

Now, his extended family is grieving the loss of the two children — identified as 2-year-old Kaleo and 10-month-old Roxy — while also trying to lend their support to their killer, who they say “clearly needs” help.

A person identified only as “a longtime family friend” spoke to People on Tuesday, reiterating just how shocked the entire family is over what transpired down in Mexico last month.

In fact, the family friend is adamant that there are much deeper mental health issues at play in regards to Coleman’s alleged actions, saying (below):

“At this point, we all believe that he had a psychotic break. It’s the only explanation that makes any sense to us. Something clicked, and he did something that was incomprehensible. Before August 7, we thought his life was damn near perfect.”

Perfect, indeed.

Coleman had been a very popular surfing instructor in beautiful Santa Barbara who seemed to be living a stable, good life.

At the time of the deaths, he and his wife Abby were packing for a family trip when police allege he “abruptly put his two kids into his van” and drove them all the way to a ranch in Mexico. There, the children were apparently stood up against a stake and stabbed over and over with a spearfishing gun. Coleman came home alone, but as he attempted to cross the border and return to the United States, when he was apprehended.

In a criminal complaint filed by the FBI, special agent and investigator Jennifer Bannon wrote about how the surfing guru explained his recent connection to QAnon — a conspiracy theory which claims former president Donald Trump has secretly been battling a “cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles” who run the country and its biggest political, media, and cultural enterprises.

Bannon wrote (below):

“[Coleman] claimed to be enlightened by QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories and was receiving visions and signs revealing that his wife, A.C., possessed serpent DNA and had passed it on to his children. M. Coleman stated that he believed his children were going to grow into monsters so he had to kill them.”

Jeez…

For now, friends are trying to straddle the line between grieving and mourning the horrible loss as they search for answers, and standing by a person who they so clearly believe needs help.

The family friend summed it up, saying:

“We don’t know what the future holds, and we’re not endorsing anything he might have done, and we’re still grieving the senseless loss of Kaleo and Roxy. But we’re standing by him as this goes ahead. The hope is that he’ll get the help he clearly needs.”

Standing by him seems like a tough position to be in. But if he was otherwise sane and rational… and then got his mind twisted by this nonsense online… In some ways he could be considered a victim as well. What a crazy, sad, tragic, and unsettling situation.

Currently, Coleman is being held in protective custody at an undisclosed federal prison.

He was indicted on murder charges last week in Santa Barbara County. If convicted, he is eligible to face the death penalty.

[Image via LoveWater Surf School/Instagram]