Marital separation can be hard. In fact, the American Psychological Association cites divorce as one of the most painfully tragic life events coming in just ahead of the death of a spouse and death of a child. It can be hard on the parents and especially difficult on any children whose lives become separated as a result.
Martin Pereira and Cherone Coleman had tried their best to stay together for their 3-year-old daughter, but it was not to be. Martin had his difficulties, so did Cherone, but neither knew how difficult things would really end up being in the end or how dangerous…
Never Easy
It is never an easy thing to find out that the person you thought was “the One” is nothing more than just another in a long line of disappointing would-be “ones.” Cherone Coleman was finding this out first hand. She and Martin had made a beautiful, perfect little girl together and were about to finally tie the knot, things went sour.
Waging War
Cherone Coleman was worried too. She and her fiance Martin Periera had been so close to saying their vows when they split in March of 2019. Instead of celebrating with friends and family, they were waging war in a Queens courtroom, trying to figure out who would get custody of their 3-year-old daughter, Zoey…
Another Side
Cherone was a 36-year-old medical assistant with a fairly lucrative career. Her now ex-fiance was still working but was not as well situated financially. Still, Martin had been a good dad up until that point, so the plan was to split custody. Recently though, he had been showing a different, more worrying side of himself.
Squabbling Parents
As their parental squabbles increased, Martin became more and more unhinged. He was combative, uncooperative, and determined to be Zoey’s only parent. As everyone would soon find out, he would achieve this by any means necessary; no matter how criminally insane they might be…
Agitated
Many of Martin’s friends and associates agreed with her Cheron’s interpretation of events. Angel Rivera, a former co-worker of Martin’s, spoke to the New York Times about how agitated his friend had become in recent weeks. The split and the ensuing custody battle was just part of it. According to Angel, he worried about his daughter’s well being at her mother’s house.
Liable to Explode
Martin was also convinced that the courts were siding against him the whole time, even though he warned them that Zoey would be exposed to marijuana smoke for as long as she lived at Cheron’s home. “There was a lot of stress building up in him,” Rivera told the Times. He had no idea how apt that particular expressing would end up becoming…
Devastating Decision
Finally, a judge ordered that Martin Periera be allowed to take Zoey to his home on Long Island for the weekend. Despite Cherone’s reservations about his mental state, she chose to comply with the court order. It would prove to be a devastating decision and one that she would end up regretting the rest of her life. “I should’ve just kept her and gone to jail,” she told the Daily News.
Beaten and Abused
Martin had done everything possible to try and gain full custody of his daughter. Right from the start, their weekend had been a heated one. It began with Martin taking his daughter to Cohen Children’s Medical Center on Long Island. He reportedly stormed in, accusing Cherone of having abused Zoey…
Drug Dealer
When Cherone arrived to intervene, he then allegedly accused her of being a drug dealer and a drug addict. Despite her denying the allegations to the staff, they still allowed him to leave the hospital with the girl. They had no choice. Crazy as he may have seemed, he still had all the proper paperwork informing the of his visitation rights.
Explosive Event
The weekend was over. It was Sunday night and Martin Pereira was driving Zoey back to his ex-fiance’s house. Suddenly, just as the 2008 Audi A6 approached Baisley Pond Park in the Springfield Gardens neighborhood of Queens, it exploded into a burst of fiery crimson. Flames began pouring out of the vehicle…
Father on Fire
Witnesses in the area ducked and covered, then ran towards the car to see if anyone was hurt. The 39-year-old construction worker emerged from the car, covered in flames and screaming to high heaven. He rolled around on the ground to put out the fire, yelling to the newly arrived firefighters that Zoey was still inside the car.
Baby on Board
According to those same witnesses, Martin could be heard shouting “I have my kid in the car” to the firemen. The brave firefighters ran towards the burning sedan only to find that what they were looking at might not be an accident at all. This was a possible crime, and if they didn’t work fast, a homicide…
Chained Up
The firefighters looked inside the burning car and beheld little 3-year-old Zoey, still strapped into her car seat in the back. She was unconscious and injured. They tried to open the doors, only to find that they had been chained shut from the inside to prevent anyone from getting in. Why in the world would the father have tried to chain her into the car?
On Purpose?
Looking around, they also saw that someone had splashed gasoline in the car’s interior. A propane tank in the trunk had been opened, releasing the flammable gas into the car. It appeared rigged in such a way that it would not only provide the initial ignition but continue to feed the fire. But how were they going to get Zoey out in time?
A Sad Ending
Eventually, the firemen were able to free the little girl from the car and Zoey was taken to a nearby hospital. Sadly, however, she was pronounced dead soon after. Martin was taken to the same hospital to be treated for his own injuries but was placed under arrest as well. Cherone received the call later that night and could barely believe it.
Warned Her
She recalled their conversation hours before the fire. The words “You’ll never see your daughter again…” stuck in her head. Surely he meant to kidnap her or bring her far away. Maybe it was an empty threat. The grieving mother had been prepared for Martin to do something rash, but nothing like that…
Constant Calls
Cherone had been worried after the hospital visit, but evidently not worried enough. It wasn’t until after it all happened that she realized that the multitude of calls she had ignored on Sunday might have helped her to save her daughter’s life. At the time, she had no idea that Martin had made threatening calls to her relatives regarding Zoey.
Threats
Cheron got the word from her relatives just before he allegedly started the fire. He was saying crazy things, things she couldn’t even fully understand. According to her, he said things like “Do I have your attention now, b—-? I got your attention now, b—-. You’re never going to see your daughter again.” He was right.
Never Expected
In the end, Cheron had done everything she could to help Zoey. She responded to his threats by calling the police, but it was too little too late. She told the press that she had always anticipated him hurting her, not her daughter. No one could have anticipated that.
Homicide
Following the harrowing event, authorities have ruled Zoey’s death a homicide. There is every indication that Martin Pereira intentionally set the fire, but that might be hard to prove. The coming weeks will tell if that is the case and the coming years will determine a fitting punishment for someone who may have killed his own daughter for spite.
