Providence man sentenced to life without parole in kidnapping, killing of Jassy Correia
A Providence man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday for kidnapping and killing a young mother in Boston in February 2019, federal and local law-enforcement officials announced.
Louis D. Coleman III, 36, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Boston, following his June 1 conviction on the federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death, the officials, including Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements Jr., said in a news release.
On Feb. 24, 2019, Coleman sexually assaulted and strangled Jassy Correia, the mother of a 2-year-old girl, who'd gone to a downtown Boston nightclub with friends to celebrate her upcoming 23rd birthday, officials said.
More: Louis Coleman convicted of fatal kidnapping of woman from Boston nightclub
“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," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in the release.
Coleman's LinkedIn profile had identified him as a systems engineer at Raytheon in Waltham, Massachusetts. Coleman's website said he'd earned a master's degree in experimental physics from California State University Long Beach.
Correia, of Lynn, Massachusetts, had gotten separated from her friends and tried hailing a ride from an Uber driver outside the Venu nightclub shortly after 2 a.m., but the driver was waiting for a larger group and refused. Within seconds, video surveillance showed, Coleman approached Correia.
Coleman killed Correia after tricking her into believing he would give her a ride to her friend's apartment, officials said, citing trial evidence.
After killing Correia in his car in Boston, Coleman drove to his apartment on Chestnut Street in Providence. Surveillance footage from Coleman’s apartment building showed Coleman parking and getting out his his car at about 4:15 that morning.
He returned a short time later carrying a blanket, then walked from the car to the front of the apartment building with Correia's body over his shoulder. Surveillance video inside the building then showed Coleman dragging her toward the elevator and then towards his apartment.
Four days later, at 1:15 a.m., Coleman wheeled a suitcase containing Correia's body out of his apartment and into the lot where his car was parked. He struggled to lift the suitcase into the trunk and then drove away at 4 a.m.
More: Providence man held; body found in car
That afternoon, Coleman’s car was stopped by police on Interstate 95 South near Wilmington, Deleware. When police officers asked Coleman if anyone else was in the car, he replied, "She's in the trunk."
Correia's body was found in a suitcase in the trunk.
Levy said, “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."
"By his depravity and his horrific disregard for Ms. Correia’s life, Louis Coleman forfeited his right to live free in society,” Levy said.
jperry@providencejournal.com
(401) 277-7614
On Twitter: @jgregoryperry
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Louis Coleman sentenced to life without parole for murder of Jassy Correia
