Matthew Taylor Coleman, a California surf instructor and QAnon follower accused of killing his two young children with a spearfishing gun in Mexico, remains incompetent to stand trial and “rambles” incoherently behind bars, according to a new report.
The New York Post reports that the 43-year-old is “nearly incomprehensible” and unable to assist in his own defense ahead of a looming hearing next week ahead of a potential trial.
Attorneys for Coleman only have until Feb. 18 to agree to a treatment plan for the QAnon disciple, per court documents reviewed by PEOPLE. He has reportedly tried to “mutilate” himself repeatedly behind bars, including by cutting and punching himself and slamming his head into a toilet, the Post reports.
The judge overseeing the case, Cathy Ann Bencivengo, has said that she won’t grant further extensions to Coleman’s defense to respond in court to the federal Bureau of Prisons’ treatment plans.
Coleman is accused of killing his 2-year-old son Kaleo and 10-month-old daughter Roxy with a spearfishing gun in Mexico in August 2021. He has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities claim Coleman drove from his Santa Barbara home into Mexico with his kids on Aug. 7, 2021, and allegedly slayed them with a spearfishing gun on a ranch two days later. Police said Coleman then returned to his hotel.
A farmer discovered the young children’s bodies in a remote part of the ranch in Baja California just hours later, police said.
Coleman’s wife Abby — whom he allegedly believed passed on “serpent DNA” to their children” — reported him and the kids missing to authorities. Coleman was then arrested when he attempted to cross the border back into the U.S., PEOPLE previously reported.
Per charging documents previously reviewed by PEOPLE, Coleman allegedly told police he was motivated by the QAnon conspiracy theory and believed that his kids needed to be killed in order to save the world.
Coleman was deemed incompetent to stand trial in October 2023, PEOPLE previously reported. That month, Bencivengo ordered Coleman to be committed for treatment.
Coleman was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2021 and has undergone psychological testing to determine his state of mind. In February 2023, federal prosecutors decided not to pursue the death penalty, according to an online docket entry previously reviewed by PEOPLE.
Attorneys for Coleman declined to comment to PEOPLE on Feb. 6.
