Providence man Louis Coleman, 32, was convicted in a jury trial of the federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death of Jassy Correia, a 23-year-old mother.
Coleman was arrested and charged in March 2019 and was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2019.
“Justice was done today in this courthouse,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “The victim in this case, Jassy Correia, was a vibrant young woman, a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend. And the defendant, Louis Coleman, was a predator. He tricked Ms. Correia into believing he would give her a ride and instead he held her against her will, sexually assaulted her, murdered her and engaged in a massive cover-up. Although this conviction cannot bring Ms. Correia back, today’s guilty verdict brings some measure of justice for her and her loving family who feel this devastating void every single day. This case is the result of incredibly collaborative law enforcement effort between local, state and federal agencies across three states – Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Delaware. Thanks to their investigative work, the tireless efforts of the trial team and the bravery of Ms. Correia’s family and friends, Louis Coleman has been held accountable and will remain in prison for the rest of his life.”
According to the U.S. Attorney, in the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 2019, Correia, the victim, went out with friends to a nightclub in downtown Boston to celebrate her upcoming birthday. Just after 2 a.m., Correia became separated from her friends and tried to get a ride home from an Uber XL driver who was idling out front of the nightclub. The driver was waiting for a larger group and pushed Ms. Correia out of the car, and she stumbled onto the sidewalk. Seconds later, video surveillance captured Coleman approach the victim – who was alone, intoxicated, barefoot, and without a winter coat – and take both of her hands. Coleman offered Ms. Correia a ride back to her friend’s apartment.
After getting into the vehicle with Correia, video surveillance showed Coleman make a series of short turns before pulling over, just a few blocks from where he had originally parked, for approximately 12 minutes. Coleman then began driving south to his apartment in Providence -- he lived in the Jewelry District and worked at Raytheon in Portsmouth.
Surveillance footage from Coleman’s Providence apartment building showed Coleman, at about 4:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, parking and exiting the vehicle, and then returning a short time later carrying a blanket. He then walked from the car to the front of the building carrying the victim’s body slung over his shoulder. Once he entered the building, surveillance video showed Coleman dropping the victim on the floor and dragging her towards the elevator, and subsequently towards his apartment.
In the days that followed, Coleman visited two car washes and his internet search history revealed he Googled things 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.” In addition, Coleman purchased a $150 air purifier, three 12-lb bags of baking soda, duct tape, 50-gallon trash bags, personal protective equipment including full-body coveralls, an odor respirator, and protective masks, safety goggles, a 600-lb rated dolly, three Tyvek suits and a large suitcase.
At 1:15 a.m., on Feb. 28, 2019, Coleman wheeled a suitcase containing the victim’s body out of his apartment and into the parking lot where his vehicle was parked. Coleman appeared to have difficulty lifting the suitcase into the trunk of his car, before driving away at 4 a.m.
On the afternoon of Feb. 28, 2019, Coleman’s vehicle was stopped by Delaware authorities on I-95 South near Wilmington, Del. Officers ordered Coleman out of the vehicle and asked him if anyone else was in the vehicle with him, to which Coleman said, “She’s in the trunk.”
Officers discovered the victim’s body in the trunk of Coleman’s vehicle, bound with duct tape and in the fetal position inside a sofa cushion cover, which was inside of a black trash bag, stuffed inside the suitcase Coleman was seen bringing into his apartment on Feb. 27, 2019. A duffle bag, a pair of new long-handled loppers, plastic garbage bags, clothing, a red plastic gas container, a green butane lighter, black gloves, charcoal air purifiers, air fresheners, tinted safety glasses, plastic Walmart bags, work towels, cloth work-gloves, a new set of DeWalt pliers, a laptop, the computer hard-drive/tower he used to conduct his Google searches and disinfectant wipes were also recovered in Coleman’s vehicle. Two large cracks in the windshield on the passenger side were found to contain both Coleman and Ms. Correia’s DNA.
The victim had significant bruising, a bloodied face, was bound with gray duct tape and was covered in baking soda. The medical examiner determined cause of death to be strangulation and found evidence consistent with a sexual assault.
The charge of kidnapping resulting in death provides for a sentence of death or life in prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Chief District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Sept. 22, 2022.
Related Slideshow: Anatomy of a Crime - Timeline of the Death of Jassy Correia
Corriea and Coleman meet at the Boston Club Venu, Late Saturday Night, February 23 or early Sunday, Feb 24
According to the charging document, after learning of the disappearance of Correia, law enforcement reviewed surveillance tape from outside of the nightclub Venu in Boston, the last place Correia had been seen by her friends, which showed Correia leaving the area and entering a vehicle with a man later identified as Coleman.
Somewhere between Club Venu in Boston and Coleman's Apartment at 95 Chestnut Street in Providence, Rhode Island, early on Sunday, February 24, law enforcement believes Coleman kidnapped and murdered Correia.
Surveillance footage from Coleman’s Providence, R.I., apartment building showed Coleman, at about 4:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, parking and exiting the vehicle, and then returning a short time later carrying a blanket.
He then walked from the car to the front of the building carrying a body with long hair and clothing consistent with the description of Ms. Correia, according to the MA U.S. Attorney.
Once he entered the building, surveillance video showed Coleman dropping the victim on the floor and dragging her towards the elevator, and subsequently towards his apartment unit. The victim was not moving and her body was limp. Police tell GoLocal they believe Correia was already dead.
According to the U.S. Attorney, surveillance video from the defendant’s apartment building showed Coleman enter the apartment building with Walmart shopping bags. Law enforcement subsequently obtained video surveillance and a receipt from a Walmart in Providence, R.I., that revealed Coleman had purchased three Tyvek suits, duct tape, two candles, electrical tape, one mask, surgical gloves, two pairs of safety goggles, an odor respirator and CLN release bleach bath.
Coleman's Apartment Building, Wednesday, February 27
At approximately 9:58 p.m. on Feb. 27, 2019, Coleman is seen on video surveillance entering the apartment building with what appeared to be a new, large suitcase.
Editor's Note: Stock photo of a suitcase -- not the actual suitcase
Boston Police Department on Weds, February 27 Issue a Missing Person Alert for Jassy Corriea
Missing Person Alert: BPD Seek Public’s Help in Effort to Locate 23-year-old Jassy Correia and Release Video and Images of Person of Interest and Vehicle
Missing Person Alert: BPD Seek Public’s Help in Effort to Locate 23-year-old Jassy Correia and Release Images of Person of Interest and Vehicle: The Boston Police Department is issuing a Missing Person Alert and asking for the public’s help in efforts to locate 23-year-old Jassy Correia. Shortly after leaving the Venu Nightclub, Correia was seen in the area of 255 Tremont Street in Boston in the company of an unknown male (see video below) at about 12:15 AM on Sunday, February 24, 2019. Correia was later seen entering a motor vehicle, believed to be a red Nissan Altima (see photo), with the same male in the area of Tremont and Herald Streets. When last seen, Correia, who is approximately 5’7” tall, was wearing big hoop earrings, an orange jumpsuit and a jean jacket with an image of red lips and pink wings on the back of it.
The trunk of Coleman's Red Nissan Altima, Thurs, February 28
At 1:15 a.m., on Feb. 28, 2019, Coleman is seen in the video wheeling the suitcase away from his apartment unit towards the elevator, eventually out of the building and into the parking lot where his vehicle was. Coleman appeared to have difficulty lifting the suitcase into the trunk of his car.
Editor's Note: Stock photo of a trunk of an Altima-- not the actual suitcase
Coleman removing other materials, Thurs, February 28
Additional surveillance video showed Coleman on several occasions exiting his apartment building with other items, including trash bags, cardboard boxes, a bottle of bleach, a laptop case, a computer tower and a small duffle bag.
Later in the day on Feb. 28, 2019, a search warrant was executed at Coleman’s apartment, where two packages of hooded coveralls and two respirator masks were recovered. A sofa with four large cushions, one of which was missing a cover, was also observed. In a dumpster outside of the apartment complex, white trash bags, a bag containing plastic sheets, men’s jeans with bleach stains and a belt, a white nylon hooded coverall, an empty box of baking soda, clear safety goggles, a respirator mask, duct tape packaging, rubbing alcohol, Walmart bags, used plastic gloves, an empty package from a car air freshener, three empty packages of purifying charcoal and a sponge were recovered.
Delaware State Police Pull Over Coleman on Thurs, February 28; Coeman says "She's in the trunk"
On the afternoon of Feb. 28, 2019, Coleman’s vehicle was stopped by Delaware authorities on I-95 South near Wilmington, Delaware. Officers ordered Coleman out of the vehicle and asked him if anyone else was in the vehicle with him. It is alleged that Coleman stated words to the effect: “She’s in the trunk.”
Officers discovered the victim’s body in the trunk of Coleman’s vehicle, wrapped in a sofa cushion cover, which was inside of a black trash bag, inside of a large suitcase that matches the suitcase Coleman was observed bringing into his apartment on Feb. 27, 2019. The victim had significant bruising, a bloodied face, was bound with gray duct tape, and was covered in what is believed to be baking soda.
Other disturbing materials found in Coleman's Altima
A duffle bag, a pair of new long-handled loppers, plastic garbage bags, clothing, a red plastic gas container, a green butane lighter, black gloves, charcoal air purifiers, air fresheners, tinted safety glasses, plastic Walmart bags, work towels, cloth work-gloves, a new set of DeWalt pliers, a laptop, a computer hard-drive/tower, and disinfectant wipes were also recovered in Coleman’s vehicle.
The passenger side window damaged on Coleman's Altima, Feb 28
It is further alleged that photographs of the defendant’s vehicle depict a windshield that is cracked in two locations on the passenger side and a white substance, believed to be baking soda, in the trunk of the vehicle.
A Justice of the Peace Court processed Coleman's extradition to Rhode Island via a video conference hearing around 1 a.m. Friday morning, according to court records.
Coleman, 32, of Providence, waived his right to an extradition hearing and records indicate he is jailed at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington.
He is awaiting transport back to Rhode Island, according to Delaware Department of Justice Spokesman Carl Kanefsky.
He is being held on a Rhode Island warrant for kidnapping, refusal to report a death and mutilation of a dead human body, according to court records," reported DelawareOnline.
GoFundMe Account Exceeds $50,000 goal and now exceeds $130,000
"The family of Jassy Correia is extremely grateful for every single one of you, for your contribution and your positive thoughts below. Surpassing our goal is a common understanding that there should not be another occurrence of #JassyCorreia – Thank you!"
Please help us raise money for Jassy Correia’s family.
Jassy Correia was kidnapped while leaving the Venu Night Club in Boston where she was celebrating her 23rd birthday. She was found murdered and her body was found in two suitcases in her Kidnapper’s car in Delaware. We are looking to help raise money for the family of Jassy and her 2 year old daughter who was left behind. Please donate anything you can to ease the burden on the family.
Any and all additional money raised will be used to setup a college fund for Jassy’s daughter. Please help Jassy’s family in this very difficult time of need as we suffer through this horrific tragedy.
