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Louis Coleman sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and death of Jassy Correia
"To this day, Louis Coleman has shown no remorse."
Louis D. Coleman III, 36, of Providence, Rhode Island, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the kidnapping and killing of Jassy Correia, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
“Jassy Correia was a vibrant and beautiful 22-year-old woman and mother of a toddler daughter. Louis Coleman, a total stranger to her, abducted her, raped her and strangled her to death. The pain and suffering Louis Coleman inflicted on Jassy Correia that night and her loving family – her mother, her father, her brother and so many others every single day since Feb. 24, 2019 – will never be relieved by this sentence. By his depravity and his horrific disregard for Ms. Correia’s life, Louis Coleman forfeited his right to live free in society,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy in a statement.
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Louis D. Coleman III was called a “monster” by relatives of Correia in court, The Boston Globe reported.
A jury found that he kidnapped Correia outside a Boston nightclub in February 2019. Correia, the mother of a young girl living in Lynn at the time, was out celebrating her 23rd birthday in the city’s theater district. Five days later, Correia’s body was inside a suitcase in the trunk of Coleman’s car.
Coleman was convicted in June of the kidnapping of Correia, which resulted in her death. The charge carried with it a mandatory life sentence in prison.
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“I have this pain inside my heart,” Correia’s aunt told a judge Tuesday, according to the Globe. “I would like him to just tell us why.”
Correia went missing after she and a group of friends went to Venu, a nightclub on Warrenton Street near the W Hotel and a block away from Boston Common. During Coleman’s trial, a friend said that she and Correia spent the night dancing and drinking champagne.
Coleman, who has a master’s degree in experimental physics, was a Raytheon employee at the time, the Globe reported. He reportedly went to the club alone and did not know Correia before that night.
At some point, Correia got separated from her friends. Federal prosecutors released security footage that appeared to show Correia standing outside the club barefoot, looking for a ride home around 2 a.m.
She climbed into the passenger seat of an Uber that she did not call, and was pushed out of the car by the driver, the footage showed. Correia appeared intoxicated and distraught, and was not wearing a coat. The footage shows a man, later identified by police as Coleman, stepping forward and offering his hand to lift Correia up. He can later be seen giving Correia a piggyback ride to his car.
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A lawyer for Correia said in court that the attack likely occurred around 2:30 a.m., soon after Correia got into Coleman’s car. She sustained extensive injuries to her neck and body, according to the Globe, and would have been easily overpowered by Coleman. Investigators found two cracks in the windshield on the passenger side of Coleman’s car. A few hours later, security footage showed Coleman dragging Correia’s limp body into the elevator at his apartment building in Providence.
In the days that followed, officials said Coleman purchased a $150 air purifier, 36 pounds of baking soda, duct tape, 50-gallon trash bags, personal protective equipment including full-body coveralls, an odor respirator, protective masks, safety goggles, a 600-lb rated dolly, three Tyvek suits and a large suitcase.
A review of Coleman’s internet activity found that he searched Google for terms such as “how to pull a tooth out that’s not loose;” “can a person fit inside a suitcase;” “buy dumpster;” “oil barrel;” “how to clean for embalming;” “turkey baster;” and “target sanitizing bleach,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
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Just after 1 a.m. on Feb. 28, 2019, the United States Attorney’s Office said Coleman wheeled a suitcase containing Correia’s body outside to a parking lot near his car. He struggled to lift the suitcase, but got it into the truck and drove away around 4 a.m.
Coleman was publicly identified as a suspect, and was found driving on Interstate 95 near Wilmington, Delaware. When asked by police if anyone else was in the car, Coleman reportedly said “she’s in the trunk.”
In court Tuesday, Correia’s relatives told a judge that Correia’s daughter, now five-years-old, often asks who killed her mother, according to the Globe.
“To this day, Louis Coleman has shown no remorse. After he lured 22-year-old Ms. Correia into his car, sexually assaulted her and violently killed her, Louis Coleman did not once consider turning himself in – rather he concocted a gruesome plan to conceal the assault and murder he just committed. Today’s sentence of life in prison is a just punishment,” Levy said in a statement.
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