The Murder of David Coffin

For this case, I watched an episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta. It’s season 1 episode 10, titled ‘Catching Fire.’

A wealthy entrepreneur is found dead in his home.

Background

David Coffin came from a wealthy family, who were worth about $23 million from the automotive and aerospace industries. However, David moved from Connecticut to Buckhead, Georgia to get away from the family business.

David was just 41 at the time, and an entrepreneur. He was described as a lovable and down to earth person. He always had women around him because he was good looking and wealthy.

The Crime

On December 11, 1996, the Atlanta Fire Department responded to a call about a house engulfed in flames.

The house was a two story house. Part of the house was completely burnt, as well as the two cars in the driveway. The Atlanta FD also made a shocking discovery: there was a body inside the burnt home.

The homicide unit was called in, and entered the house after the fire was put out. The victim was found in the kitchen lying face down. The fire department immediately thought the fire was suspicious. They told the police that most people would be face up if they were trying to crawl and get out of a burning house.

The police also found a .9mm gun in the rubble.

A Love Triangle

The news had spread about the fire almost immediately. A woman named Megan Lee was able to tell the police that the house belonged to her boyfriend, David Coffin.

Megan told the police that she had just seen David the day before. She said she and David spoke several times a day, so when he wasn’t answering her calls it was unusual.

After talking to Megan, the police received a phone call that there had been another fire about a mile and a half away. The owner of the house, Scott Davis told the police that he had been in his bed reading when he heard his dog barking.

Scott said he got out of bed, and realized that the back of his house was on fire. He went outside, and saw a man jumping over the fence. Scott said the man shot once at him, so he shot back 5 times with his shot gun.

Scott also said that he had filed a police report because someone had been inside his home when he came back from the gym. Scott said the man looked similar to the man he had seen set his house on fire. The man had stolen clothes, a gas can, and tools from his house, and had pepper sprayed him as he fled.

The police were suspicious of Scott and his story. They also learned that Scott and Megan Lee were still legally married, but separated.

A Controlling Person

Megan and Scott had met while she was a student at the University of Georgia. Scott also came from money, and his father was a famous forensic psychiatrist.

Megan had met David once she began the divorce proceedings after 2 years of being married to Scott. Megan had described Scott as being very controlling, and always reminded her that she didn’t come from money.

Scott had become angry when he found out that Megan and David were dating. Scott had called Megan, and written her letters begging for her to come back to him. He also warned her against being intimate with anyone else, and was furious when she had been with David.

Megan told the police that David’s home was broken into just 5 days before he was killed. The burglar had stolen some computers, watches, a Porsche, and a .9mm handgun. A .9mm Taurus handgun had been found near David’s body.

Not too long after his car was reported stolen, the Porsche was found in Brookhaven. The car had been set on fire, but the fire was put out before it had destroyed the car.

A Circumstantial Case

The police were focused on Scott as being their prime suspect. Scott was again interviewed at the police station. He told them again about the man breaking into his home, and about the man he had seen after the fire was set.

Scott was also questioned about Megan. Scott claimed he wasn’t jealous, and that he and Megan had talked about rekindling things.

Scott was also asked about David Coffin. Scott let it slip that he had been told that David had been shot. Scott said Megan told him that, but it was clear to the police that she had no idea before they told her. Scott then said it was a friend of his named Greg that had told him. Greg also had no idea about David’s cause of death.

The police took Scott back to his home after the interview. They also took a look around the house. They were unable to find any shell casings from a handgun, but they did find casings from Scott’s shot gun. A neighbor of Scott’s would later say that she had only heard shots from a shot gun, and that she was very familiar with guns.

Less than 2 days after David’s murder, Scott was arrested.

A Cold Case

The Fulton County DA’s office had to decide whether or not there was enough evidence to take the case to trial. Sadly, they ruled there wasn’t enough evidence, and Scott’s charges were dropped.

Years would pass before David’s case would be reopened. Megan moved to Australia, and Scott to Palo Alto, California.

In 2004, Paul Howard, the same DA that had dropped the charges, started a cold case unit. Sheila Ross, the assistant DA reopened David’s case.

The first witness she wanted to interview was Megan. Megan provided her with the letters that Scott had written her, and messages on her answering machine that Scott had left her.

In the messages, Scott begged Megan to take him back. Once he found out that she had moved on, he wrote that their marriage would never work because she had slept with David.

Scott had also hired a private investigator to follow Megan. The PI had provided Scott with David’s address just days before his house was robbed.

Justice for David

Scott was the only one who had a strong motive for killing David. It’s believed that he went to David’s on December 11, 1996, and told him to stay away from Megan.

On November 23, 2005, the case was presented to a grand jury. There was no new evidence presented. Scott was arrested in California, and brought back to Atlanta.

Scott’s family put up a $1 million bond. Scott was free until his trial.

Megan came back from Australia to testify. She spoke about her relationship and divorce from Scott. She also spoke about David, and all of the messages that Scott had left her. Many are now saying that Megan had lied on the stand. Scott’s supporters are also saying that Megan had known about the fire and Scott’s cause of death before they were reported.

The defense team attacked David’s character, which was hard for his family to sit through. The trial lasted 7 weeks, and during the 5th week, Scott’s dad told the jury that Scott had been with him on the night of the murder. Scott’s dad had never told anyone that he had been with his son.

The jury deliberated for 5 days. Scott Davis was found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While there might not have been a lot of evidence in this case, there was some evidence that Megan had kept. Megan proved that Scott was controlling and jealous, and would kill anyone who stood in his way to being with her. Scott’s family tried everything they could to protect their son’s reputation, but it didn’t work. Scott is now in prison. There are some that think he is innocent, and others that think the right person is behind bars. David deserved to live a long life with whoever he had wanted. David is the only true victim in this. It seems like all evidence is pointing to Scott, and no one else.

Sources

https://www.oxygen.com/the-real-murders-of-atlanta/crime-news/scott-davis-killed-david-coffin-why

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-ghost-of-david-coffin/

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/PALO-ALTO-Man-rearrested-in-multimillionaire-s-2560339.php

https://www.ajc.com/news/local/family-offers-500-000-reward-1996-murder-case/tw8rZnZCfRduwUSl8dwC5O/

https://freescottdavis.org/megan-bruton/