The Louis Coleman III case is the federal prosecution of a former Providence, Rhode Island systems engineer who kidnapped and killed 23-year-old Jassy Correia after she left a Boston nightclub in February 2019. A jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts convicted Coleman of kidnapping resulting in death on June 1, 2022, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The First Circuit affirmed the conviction in July 2025, and a petition for review is now pending at the U.S. Supreme Court.1U.S. Department of Justice. Louis Coleman III Sentenced to Life in Prison for Kidnapping Resulting in Death
What Happened the Night of February 23, 2019
Jassy Correia went to Venu Nightclub in downtown Boston that night to celebrate her upcoming 23rd birthday with friends. Just after 2 a.m. on February 24, she became separated from her group and tried to get a ride home from an Uber driver, who refused.2WHDH. New Video Shows Moment Jassy Correia Met Man Accused of Kidnapping, Killing Her Coleman, then 32, approached her and convinced her he would drive her to a friend’s apartment.
Instead, he drove a few blocks away and stopped for roughly 12 minutes. Prosecutors argued that during that stop he sexually assaulted and strangled Correia inside the car.3FindLaw. United States v. Coleman III He then drove to his apartment in Providence, where building surveillance recorded him carrying her body inside at 4:15 a.m.
A medical examiner determined the cause of death was strangulation. Correia had numerous abrasions and contusions on her face that occurred while she was still alive. A sexual assault kit identified Coleman’s DNA on vaginal and rectal swabs and in fingernail scrapings.3FindLaw. United States v. Coleman III
The Four Days Before the Arrest
Between the killing and his arrest, Coleman took elaborate steps to conceal what he had done. A forensic analysis of a computer hard drive from his car showed internet searches including “can a person fit in a suitcase,” “how to clean for embalming,” “oil barrel, where to purchase,” and “how to pull a tooth that’s not loose.”4U.S. Department of Justice. Louis Coleman III Convicted by Federal Jury of Kidnapping Resulting in Death He installed IPVanish, an application that hides a user’s IP address, on the day of the killing.
Between February 24 and 27, receipts and surveillance footage documented Coleman buying baking soda, coveralls, a mask, safety goggles, an odor respirator, bleach, a large suitcase, a gas canister, a scented candle, and pelletized limestone.3FindLaw. United States v. Coleman III Investigators also recovered pruning shears and pliers from his car, which prosecutors argued were meant to remove fingerprints and teeth to prevent identification of the body.5Universal Hub. Government Sentencing Memorandum, United States v. Coleman
Location data showed he visited two car washes within 30 minutes on the day of the killing. When police later entered his apartment, they found every window open despite cold weather, a strong smell of cleaning solution, and a missing shower curtain and couch cushion cover. While Correia’s body was still in the apartment, Coleman texted a woman he had met at a club, made weekend plans to visit Washington, D.C., and emailed his employer claiming he was sick.5Universal Hub. Government Sentencing Memorandum, United States v. Coleman
The Arrest in Delaware
Around 1 a.m. on February 28, 2019, surveillance footage showed Coleman making several trips between his apartment and his car, visibly struggling with the weight of the suitcase he had purchased days earlier. Later that afternoon, after Rhode Island authorities broadcast a search for his vehicle, Delaware State Police Trooper Hasan Halis spotted Coleman’s maroon Buick Regal on Interstate 95 South near Wilmington.6Boston Herald. Dashcam Footage Shows Louis D. Coleman’s Arrest Coleman pulled over on the Churchmans Road off-ramp at about 2 p.m., and six troopers surrounded the car with weapons drawn.
When officers asked if anyone else was in the vehicle, Coleman replied, “She’s in the trunk.” When they told him to have the person exit, he said, “She’s dead.” Asked about a bandage on his face, he said, “It’s from the girl.”3FindLaw. United States v. Coleman III Inside the trunk, officers found a suitcase containing a black trash bag, a sofa cushion cover, and Correia’s body, folded into the fetal position, bound with gray duct tape, and covered in baking soda.4U.S. Department of Justice. Louis Coleman III Convicted by Federal Jury of Kidnapping Resulting in Death
The Federal Charge and Trial
A federal grand jury indicted Coleman on April 4, 2019, on a single charge of kidnapping resulting in death under 18 U.S.C. § 1201(a)(1).3FindLaw. United States v. Coleman III The trial took place in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in May 2022 and lasted 15 days.
The prosecution’s case rested on surveillance footage tracking Coleman’s movements, forensic DNA evidence, the medical examiner’s findings, and his internet search history. Prosecutors argued Coleman had lured Correia into his car intending to sexually assault her, then killed her and spent days planning to dispose of the body.1U.S. Department of Justice. Louis Coleman III Sentenced to Life in Prison for Kidnapping Resulting in Death
Coleman’s defense team did not dispute that he caused Correia’s death. Instead, they argued that Correia entered the car voluntarily, that the two engaged in consensual sex, and that a sudden argument turned violent and resulted in her death. The defense sought to undermine the theory that Coleman had kidnapped Correia for the purpose of sexual assault.3FindLaw. United States v. Coleman III On June 1, 2022, the jury convicted Coleman of kidnapping resulting in death.
The Life Sentence
On October 11, 2022, U.S. Chief District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV sentenced Coleman to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the mandatory penalty for a federal kidnapping conviction when the victim dies.7Boston Herald. Louis Coleman III Sentenced to Life in Prison for Kidnapping and Death of Jassy Correia Judge Saylor told the courtroom, “My heart goes out to both of the families. To the defendant’s family, particularly his mother and his younger brother and his sister. They did nothing to deserve any of this.” He added that while he took “no pleasure” in imposing the sentence, “the defendant has very much earned it.”8MassLive. Louis Coleman Gets Life in Prison for Fatal Kidnapping of Jassy Correia
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said Coleman, “by his depravity and his horrific disregard for Ms. Correia’s life,” had “forfeited his right to live free in society.”7Boston Herald. Louis Coleman III Sentenced to Life in Prison for Kidnapping and Death of Jassy Correia
The First Circuit Appeal
Coleman appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. His legal team raised several challenges. They argued the indictment was constitutionally insufficient because it used broad statutory language without specifying the means or purpose of the kidnapping. They argued the trial court improperly denied a motion for a bill of particulars. They argued that the prosecution’s theory of sexual gratification as a motive had never been presented to the grand jury and therefore violated the Fifth Amendment’s Presentment Clause. And they argued that evidence from electronic devices should have been suppressed for lack of probable cause.9GovInfo. United States v. Coleman III, First Circuit Opinion
On July 21, 2025, the First Circuit issued a 112-page opinion rejecting all of Coleman’s arguments and affirming the conviction and sentence.10Boston Globe. Louis Coleman Jassy Correia Appeal Conviction Sentence The court held the indictment was adequate because it tracked the statutory language and identified the date, victim, and location of the offense. It found no abuse of discretion in denying the bill of particulars, treated the sexual-gratification theory as a permissible variance rather than a constructive amendment of the charges, and concluded that the warrant applications established sufficient probable cause for the device searches. The panel wrote that after “careful consideration of the voluminous record,” it found “no error.”3FindLaw. United States v. Coleman III
The Pending Supreme Court Petition
On March 5, 2026, federal public defender Christine DeMaso filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on Coleman’s behalf.11Yahoo News. Providence Man Convicted of Kidnapping, Killing The petition centers on the meaning of “kidnapping” under the federal statute. It argues that the roughly 12-minute period during which Coleman held Correia in his car does not meet the legal threshold for the crime.
DeMaso relies on the Supreme Court’s 1946 decision in Chatwin v. United States, which held that the federal kidnapping statute requires a victim to be held for an “appreciable period” of time going beyond what is incidental to another crime. The petition argues that lower courts misread Chatwin in upholding Coleman’s conviction.12Boston Globe. Louis Coleman Jassy Correia Supreme Court Chatwin As of early 2026, the Supreme Court had not yet acted on the petition.
Who Jassy Correia Was
Jassy Correia was 23 years old and the mother of a two-year-old daughter named Gabriella. She lived in Lynn, Massachusetts, and was staying at an emergency shelter at the time of her death.13WBZ NewsRadio. Before Her Murder, Jassy Correia Survived Horrific Domestic Abuse She had survived a violent domestic assault by a former boyfriend in January 2018. A GoFundMe campaign created to support her daughter after her death raised more than $142,000, surpassing its original $50,000 goal.